A HUSBAND torched his holiday cottage to kill his wife and claim life insurance to cover gambling debts, a court heard.

Jong Rhee, a 34-year-old Korean, took 25-year-old Natalie, of Field Garden, Steventon, for a weekend break in Snowdonia last April. The blaze occurred on their last night.

A jury at Chester Crown Court heard that Rhee escaped from the cottage after it was engulfed in flames but his wife died. He denies murder.

In a statement to police, Rhee claimed he told his wife to jump out of the window, which was less than ten feet from the ground. When she refused he told her: "You will have to jump or you will die."

John Rogers QC, prosecuting, said: "He escaped but she unfortunately perished. She was very much in love with him right up until the time of her death but unbeknown to her, he had spent all their capital on gambling."

The prosecution claims Rhee started the fire deliberately for more than £250,000 life insurance to recoup his losses.

His debts for casino gambling and a lavish lifestyle mounted up and he increased his wife's cover by £150,000 in the weeks before her death.

After the blaze at the cottage in Llanrwst, in the Conwy Valley, investigators found two seats of the fire, one in the bedroom and one in the lounge.

The court heard it was "highly unlikely" the lounge blaze could have caused the other because it would have had to spread through the bathroom, which was relatively undamaged. Mrs Rhee was the elder daughter of Air Commodore Lloyd Doble and wife Georgina.

While at college in 1991, she met Rhee, whose parents came to Britain when he was young, and the couple married in 1994.

She worked at Harrods and merchant bankers SG Warburg in London, supporting him through a three-year management course, the court was told.

In November 1996, they sold their flat in Maida Vale, west London, for £103,000, which left them £52,000 in credit. Mrs Rhee also took out a £9,500 bank loan and the money went into a joint account.

At the time of her death Mrs Rhee was earning £16,750 a year but her husband only had casual work in catering and car dealing.

Mr Rogers told the jury: "Mr Rhee, however, was leading a double life. By night he was visiting casinos. He was using money from the joint account and also using it to support a lavish lifestyle."

In one ten-week period nearly £10,000 left the account, but on January 2 last year Rhee won £47,500 gambling.

He added: "The account was £93,000 in credit but then the losses began." By mid-February, the balance was less than £1,000.

The case continues.

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