A school nurse, Claire Bridger, was acquitted of attempted murder after stabbing her estranged husband, Keith, following his decision to euthanize their two dachshunds without her knowledge. Bridger, 64, admitted to lashing out in anger when she learned about the fate of her beloved pets and inflicted two stab wounds on her husband. The jury unanimously cleared her of the attempted murder charge after a brief trial at Norwich Crown Court.
Although Bridger pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, she acknowledged causing grievous bodily harm to her husband, who sustained life-threatening injuries, including a punctured lung. The court remanded her into custody for sentencing on March 20, with Judge Katharine Moore requesting a probation report on Bridger’s potential “dangerousness.”
The trial revealed that Bridger and her husband had been in a long-term relationship but separated after he abruptly announced his decision to leave during a family breakfast. Initially, Bridger kept the two rescue dogs they had adopted in 2020 and 2021 at their shared residence in Taverham, Norfolk, while her husband moved to a rented home in Bramerton.
Describing the dogs as “my girls,” Bridger handed them over to her husband when she went to stay with her relatives due to emotional distress caused by the separation. Upon her return, Bridger’s husband informed her that he had put the dogs down, triggering the violent altercation.
During the trial, Bridger recounted the events leading to the stabbing, citing her emotional turmoil and disbelief at her husband’s actions. She expressed regret over the incident, emphasizing that she never intended to harm him.
The court heard testimonies from witnesses, including a police officer who responded to the scene and described Bridger as visibly distressed and smelling of alcohol. Bridger, a former NHS school nurse, appeared cooperative but distraught when approached by authorities.
The case highlighted the intense emotional toll of the breakdown of Bridger’s marriage and the tragic outcome of the dispute over their beloved pets. The sentencing phase will consider all factors surrounding the incident before determining appropriate legal consequences for Bridger’s actions.