Wife who was battered to death with bottle of perfume by her doctor husband before he killed himself because he was paranoid about Japanese knotweed

This is the woman who was bludgeoned to death in bed by her husband before he killed himself over fears their home was blighted by Japanese knotweed. An inquest heard how nature-lover Jane McRae, 55, was battered by her husband Kenneth, 52, with a bottle of perfume as she lay in their bed, suffering fatal head injuries. In a suicide note, he said he killed his wife because the balance of his mind had been 'disturbed' by knotweed at their home in Rowley Regis, West Midlands. He wrote: 'I believe I was not an evil man, until the balance of my mind was disturbed by the fact there is a patch of Japanese knotweed which has been growing over our boundary fence on the Rowley Regis Golf Course.'

The doctor claimed golf course managers had been made aware of the problem but nothing had been done. After trying to curb the weed's growth unsuccessfully, he said the risk of structural damage and legal battles 'led to my growing madness.' He added: 'Jane and I were a very private couple, we chose to have no real friends, just enjoying each other. 'But the despair has got so bad that today I have killed her, as I did not want her to be alone without an income when I killed myself.' Today the couple's adopted son, photographer Mark McRae, said he did not know what drove his adoptive father to the crime.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2593566/Doctor-battered-wife-death-bottle-perfume-killing-scared-home-blighted-Japanese-Knotweed.html