The daughter of a man accused of murdering his wife broke down in court as she recalled how her father's mental health struggles changed him in the days before he killed his wife. Michael Davies, 57, is standing trial at Newport Crown Court for the murder of his wife, Tracey Davies, 48.
Admitted killing but denies murder
Davies admitted killing his wife by strangulation but denies murder. Tracey's body was discovered at a property on Bryn Terrace, Cefn Cribwr, near Bridgend on April 18, 2025. The defendant was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder on grounds of diminished responsibility.
Daughter's emotional testimony
Davies' daughter, Blythe Hughes-Davies, gave evidence on the third day of the trial. She emotionally described her father as normally full of life and the life of the party, but said he appeared vacant in the days before the killing after being signed off from work in Abu Dhabi on emergency leave due to poor mental health.
Ms Hughes-Davies told the court: 'He was always the biggest, loudest, funniest person in the room, that side had definitely gone. Even just texting he would always be funny, making jokes, but it was very minimal and everyone could see that.'
Sister's account
The defendant's sister, Julie Davies, described her brother and his wife's relationship as 'very loving' and said they 'absolutely adored each other'. She felt they had found the right person. She said prior to the incident she received messages from him about feeling low, homesick, and not getting any sleep.
Julie told the court that when she saw her brother the day after he returned from Abu Dhabi, just under a week before he killed his wife, she immediately started crying because he looked 'dreadful'. She said he had lost his personality and was consumed by worry about money.
Friend's evidence
Gareth Cox, a long-time friend of Davies, also gave evidence on Wednesday. He described his friend as someone who 'used to bend over backwards for you'. Mr Cox said that when he saw him days before Ms Davies' death, he was unusually quiet and told him he was struggling being away on his own and was missing Tracey and his family.
Concert that never happened
The court also heard how on the day of her death, Ms Davies had been due to attend a concert in which her daughter, Danielle Young, was performing. Both her son and daughter grew concerned when she didn't turn up, and Ms Young went to her house to check on her afterwards. Shortly after she arrived, another person, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went into the property. Ms Young said she heard them scream from inside and say: 'There's a knife.'
Subscribers can read live updates from the trial in Newport Crown Court online.
