PATHOLOGIST Dr Basil Purvue told Bristol Crown Court that he believed Peter Balcombe applied moderate pressure to his wife's throat when he killed her.

Balcombe, 46, from Pewsey, has denied murdering his wife Eunice on December 21 last year as they as they and their three children prepared for Christmas.

Dr Purvue examined Mrs Balcombe's body in the family home at Stratton Road where it was found by police after a friend of Balcombe's phoned to say he had killed his wife.

The pathologist carried out his post mortem at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.

He said his inspection of the body at the house revealed no obvious marking on the neck.

The post mortem revealed bruising by the left eyebrow, mottled bruising by the upper and lower lip and discolouration of the skin between the left side jaw and ear.

Internal examination of the throat revealed bruising to muscles in the area of the voice box.

Dr Purvue said he formed the opinion that death was due to compression of the neck. There was no evidence of natural disease that could have played a part in Mrs Balcombe' s death.

The injuries to her throat were of the kind caused by manual strangulation rather than use of a ligature.

His deduction from the injuries was: "It would have required moderate pressure to have achieved this bruising.

"There was no evidence of severe force having been used."

Dr Purvue explained to the jury that pressure on the neck could induce ventricular fibrillation which caused the heart to go into spasm and, if untrea4ed, stop.

A person experiencing fear or excitement would be more likely to suffer VF, he said.

Dr Purvue said: "I cannot say how long compression of the neck would have been needed to cause this."

It could have been anything from a few seconds to the full five minutes that it could take to cause fatal asphyxiation, said the pathologist.

He added: "But long enough to cause this moderate bruising."

He found no "defence injuries" that would have indicated a struggle or a fight.

In cross examination, Dr Purvue said: "The moderate bruising would have suggested briefer rather than prolonged pressure."

Balcombe is due to go into the witness box this morning.