A greedy prostitute murdered her elderly husband after becoming dissatisfied that he could no longer fund her lavish lifestyle, including a £800 for a breast op, a court heard today.
Pretty blonde Tatjana Edwards was working at a massage parlour when she first met 72 year old marketing consultant Gwyn Edwards who fell in love and began lavishing gifts on her.
Within months the unscrupulous 27 year old had married Mr Edwards's, moved into his Chestey home in the mistaken belief that was wealthy, and began fleecing him.
The couple took regular holidays to the Mediterranean and the Baltic and she even spent more than £1,200 on hairdressers in just six months. She regularly sent cash back to her family in Estonia.
In letters found on her computer written in both Russian and English she complained of his miserliness, detailing the lack of flowers at the wedding, his failed attempts to buy two houses, a luxury bed and his inability to pay for the breast operation.
When the money finally dried up Tatjana stabbed Mr Edwards in the stomach killing him in June last year, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Wendy Joseph QC told the court : "She .......
...... had come from Lithuania in April 2002 and went to work in a massage parlour. We will hear she in effect was working as a prostitute. Gwyn Edwards went to the premises and met her in November 2002.
"You may come to the conclusion he fell in love with her. He wanted to take her away from that life and they formed a relationship.
"You may come to the conclusion that whatever her feelings for him her primary motive for moving in was money. She thought he was a very wealthy man. You will hear how she was wrong."
The court heard that Mr Edward's son Gareth told police that his father was becoming increasingly upset by Tatjana behaviour.
She said : "He was aware his father was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the marriage and that continued right up to the end of Mr Edwards life. In May 2005 he confided to his son he had had enough.
"She was spending a lot of time with her family in Estonia. He was paying for lots of trips abroad.
"Between April 2003 and May 2005 he paid for many trips abroad to Estonia, Norway and Lithuania, where she had connections, and to Greece and Lanzarote on holidays which they took together.
"When we see he said to his son she was costing him money we can see it's right."
"He also complained to his son he was paying a great deal of money to her mother and we can see in the documents that money was transferred to family and friends.
"And you will see expenditures at a hairdresser between November 2004 and April 2005 where something in excess of £1,200 was spent."
In fact Miss Joseph told the court Mr Edwards drove a rented Mercedes and lived in a rented bungalow.
She said : "He was not nearly as wealthy as he looked, he was a lot older than her. It must be hard to see what she saw in him.
"He was a short man, a little plump, getting elderly and with a history of heart problems and diabetes. Mr Edwards was not nearly as wealthy as he looked.
"We will see how her gradual understanding of his financial situation came to affect her attitude to the relationship."
Two days after the couple's marriage she wrote : "There were no flowers, no presents, we didn't spend the night in a hotel. It was a big event but it's broken my heart."
In another letter she wrote "It's about my breast operation. Today is the 11 march 2004. I still don't know how you lost £800 and coundn't pay for it. You probably didnt understand how important it is for me."
When Mr Edwards put lost the deposit on the bed because he failed to complete the payments she wrote : "I don't understand your actions. You are either a big miser or are loose with money like water."
Miss Joseph said Tatjana had come to the UK with a doctor husband and young daughter who paid her £500 a week. But she abandoned her family and began working as a prostitute in 2002 to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
Reading from her statements Tatjana detailed her move to the UK and fall into prostitution. She said: "When we came to the UK it was much different. He insisted I become a Muslim but I refused because I am a free spirit."
Miss Joseph, again quoting the statement, referred to her new husband saying : "I thought he was only a client. He said he would spoil me, pay off my debts. He said he wanted a commitment from me to marry him. I thought it was strange as we had met only three times."
Tatjana Edwards denies murder.
The trial continues.
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