A woman who died following an alleged altercation with her sister did not feel safe in their shared home, her ex-husband has told a jury.
Susan Hendrickson’s sister Jane Forey, 61, is being tried for culpable homicide at the High Court in Inverness.
It’s claimed Forey pushed or struck her 56-year-old sibling, causing her to fall to the ground and strike her head, leaving her so severely injured that she died.
Giving evidence yesterday, Ivor Hendrickson told the jury that his former wife Susan, known as Sue, had been “concerned about her welfare” before her death.
The pair had stayed in touch after splitting amicably in January of 2015 and spoke regularly, even after Susan – known as Sue – moved to Roybridge from Australia, where they had been married.
Concerns for welfare
In evidence led by advocate depute Isabella Ennis, Mr Hendrickson admitted that his ex-wife had alcohol issues, but described her as a “happy drunk”.
He said: “Sue had never raised a finger to anybody in the 30 or 40 years I have known her. She was very quiet, placid.
“She was just known as the happy drunk.”
However, he said that his ex-wife had expressed her concerns to him following an incident involving Forey.
He said: “Sue was concerned about her welfare – she said Jane had come at her once with a kitchen knife.”
Mr Hendrickson said that Susan had been planning to request that a lock be put on her bedroom door and added: “I don’t think she felt she was safe in her bed at night when she was sleeping.”
Sister denies killing sibling
Forey denies a charge that she assaulted her sister on January 11 2022 at their shared home in Glenspean Park.
She has lodged a special defence of self-defence.
Mr Hendrickson said he was contacted by Forey when her sister was in the hospital.
“She said that Sue had had a fall and she was brain dead,” he said.
The jury heard that, after he was informed of Susan’s death, Mr Hendrickson sent an email asking Forey to explain what had happened.
He received a reply that read: “She was drinking as she drank 24/7 and two-and-a-half bottles of wine at least a day. We had had a tiff – she pushed me and when I pushed her back, she fell as unsteady on her feet due to drink.
“Sue banged her head as well as her leg – she didn’t want to go to hospital to be checked over.”
Medical staff told woman had been ‘knocked over by a dog’
The email continued: “Wednesday she had pain in her head so insisted she went to hospital – we were chatting all the way there.
“The rest you know.”
Forey took Susan to the Belford Hospital in Fort William the day after the alleged incident, but was not allowed to wait with her due to Covid restrictions.
Susan told medical staff that she had hit her head on the floor after being “knocked over by a dog”.
After a CT scan confirmed a subdural haematoma and her condition worsened, she was airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow where she died on January 13.
Forey also denies two further charges of assault.
One alleges that she assaulted her sister at their home between November 20 2021 and January 10 2022 by repeatedly acting in an aggressive and intimidating manner towards her, repeatedly striking her on the head and body and brandishing a knife at her.
The other is a charge of assaulting her partner, Nick Gash, at the same address between November 2020 and February 2022 by repeatedly pushing, punching and kicking him on the head and body to his injury.
The trial, before Judge Pasportnikov, continues.
