A Baltonsborough woman accused of fatally stabbing her husband in their home told a jury she cannot recall the incident, citing dissociation and memory blackouts linked to her mental health condition.

Christine Kekkonen, 36, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court charged with the murder of her husband, Henri Kekkonen, who died from a single stab wound to the neck at their bungalow on Dunford Terrace on 9 May this year.

The jury heard that Mrs Kekkonen, who had been married to her husband for 15 years, texted her mother immediately after the incident, asking her to call the police and stating she had "done something awful". Later, she reportedly told her mother over the phone that she believed she had killed her husband by stabbing him in the neck.

Police officers attending the scene found heavy blood staining on the couple's bed and recovered a knife from the floor. No evidence of blunt force trauma or defensive injuries was detected on Mr Kekkonen's body, the court was told.

In her police interviews, Mrs Kekkonen said she could not remember the events leading to her husband's death, stating the only clear memory she had was going to the kitchen to smoke, as it was the only place in the house she was permitted to do so.

The court was told that Mrs Kekkonen has a history of mental illness and had previously experienced dissociative episodes. She said she often feels physically present but mentally detached, describing the sensation as her mind being "somewhere else entirely."

During questioning, Mrs Kekkonen said she was unsure whether she had taken her prescribed psychiatric medication on the day of the incident. She explained that missing her medication could lead to blackouts, panic attacks, and dissociation.

The trial, expected to last ten days, continues.