A suicidal internet boyfriend downed a litre of anti-freeze before trying to wipe out his ex and her three children by crashing his speeding car into their living-room, a court heard today (Monday).
The terrified single-mum and her two daughters aged thirteen and six, her son, aged ten and his friend, a boy aged eleven were all at the house when the vehicle demolished the terraced house's exterior.
Beauty salon owner Edmund Bruton, 42, of Harrow Road, Wembley, met Tara Lavery on dating site 'Plentyoffish', but when their relationship turned sour vowed to do something "dramatic."
The jealous twice-divorced defendant spied on his ex the night before and convinced himself she was seeing another man, Inner London Crown Court was told.
"The defendant started dropping hints that he was going to do something dramatic that would make him famous, or the prosecution suggest infamous," prosecutor Mr. Charles Ward-Jackson told the jury.
"The defendant drove his own motor car at speed deliberately into the house that was occupied at the time by a mother and four children.
"He crashed into the front room of the house, partially demolishing the front wall. The car went into the front room and a great deal of rubble went into the front room.
"Three children were in the front room, the fourth was half-way upstairs and the mother was upstairs."
"Such was the velocity of the car it went through the garden wall, straight across the front garden and straight through the bay window.
"The front of the car collided, ploughed into the hallway wall before it came to a halt," explained Mr. Ward-Jackson.
Bruton has pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder the occupants of 131 South View Avenue, Caversham, Reading on February 26.
He has also denied damaging property, with intent to endanger life, and an alternative lesser charge of damaging property, reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Bruton also pleads not guilty to dangerous driving in South View Avenue.
He had dated a string of women, including many he picked-up at his salon Amo, in Sheen Lane, Turnham Green before meeting Tara online in January, 2010 and continuing the relationship after the met face-to-face in May.
However, by February Bruton was increasingly depressed as the long-distance romance cooled-off, with Tara resisting his efforts to have counselling.
"The relationship appeared to be on it's last legs. It was all, but over," added Mr. Ward-Jackson.
"He said: 'Big things are going to happen over the weekend.'
"By Saturday morning he had made up his mind that he was going to kill himself. Did he want to die alone or take out as many people as possible?"
The children suffered no more than "scratches and bumps and bruises" and the house suffered £66,000 worth of damage.
When quizzed at the scene the defendant confirmed he had tried to kill himself and also found was the handle of a garden fork, which Bruton rigged on the dashboard of his Peugeot 206 to stab himself in the neck.
He was successfully treated in hospital for two puncture wound to the neck, plus the ingestion of anti-freeze.
Trial continues.
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