THE York woman accused of the knife murder of her fianc would never have risked breaking up her life with him which was "the best she had ever had", a court heard.

The jury in the case of Caroline Mawhood, who is accused of stabbing Simon Gilchrist to death with a carving knife in Bell Farm Avenue, York, was expected to retire to consider its verdict today.

Yesterday, as reported in later editions of the Evening Press, she claimed that his death was an accident, because she forgot she had the knife in her hand when she pushed him.

Her barrister, Rodney Jameson, QC, said she would never have risked breaking up their family unit and home, which "was the best she had ever had and what is more, the best ever likely to have".

Speaking about the couple's actions minutes before the fatal incident he said: "Whatever is going on is not the prelude to homicidal violence. No one who saw Simon Gilchrist and Caroline going upstairs would suspect that what was about to happen would take place.

"So something has happened upstairs which is completely out of expectation with what we know about the two people."

He claimed that she had been like a "somnambulist" when she came out of the flat after the incident and did not know what she had done. And he claimed her pub attack on a stranger earlier in the evening was quite different.

But prosecution barrister William Lowe, QC, claimed her account of accidentally knifing Mr Gilchrist was "not truthful" and "incredible".

Mawhood, 21, of Bell Farm Avenue, denies murdering Mr Gilchrist, 23, on July 26.

Both barristers were giving their closing speeches yesterday.

Earlier Mawhood gave evidence about her parents' breakup, her life as a school-leaver in social service accommodation, her many sexual relationships and her health and drink problems.

Mr Lowe alleged that Mawhood's attack on Hannah Berry in The Marcia pub, Bishopthorpe on July 26 had been a typical unprovoked "you looking at me" attack.

Mr Gilchrist on the other hand had spent the evening sober, looking after Mawhood's two children at home, and was angry when she returned home drunk.

Mr Lowe claimed that after the injury, he had told bystanders she had "stabbed him" and that he had done nothing to provoke it.

"This wasn't an accidental death of Mr Gilchrist," Mr Lowe told the jury. "It was because of her deliberate act that she did what she did. You have seen the knife. She did what she did with at least moderate force. It must have been with the intention of causing really serious harm. That is murder."

Updated: 10:28 Tuesday, January 18, 2005