The woman at the centre of a love triangle has said she had no idea her husband was planning a revenge attack on her lover.

Flame-haired Louise Jenkins had confessed to having her affair to furious 54-year-old husband Andrew after being seen booking into a hotel.

In May Mr Jenkins left the family houseboat in Medway and headed to the home of his rival Jeffrey Mills in Cambridge Crescent, Shepway, Maidstone.

Mrs Jenkins told a jury at Maidstone Crown Court she thought he was going to a DIY store.

But minutes later she sent a text which read: "I'm not going to stop you because you are going to do what you are going to do.

"Whatever happens I still love you. I want you to know that."

Under-cross examination she repeatedly denied sending the text because she knew that her husband was seeking revenge and had armed himself with a knife.

Mr Jenkins died from a single shot fired by ex-soldier Mills, who has denied murder and is claiming self-defence.

Asked if the couple had rowed the morning of the killing, Mrs Jenkins said there had been no argument over the affair.

The murder jury were shown body-worn footage of the police officer breaking the news of Mr Jenkins' death to his wife.

The officer said: "In relation to Andrew, unfortunately I have got some awful news for you...are you already aware?"

Mrs Jenkins replied: "Yeah, I know."

Defence barrister Gillian Hunter Jones QC asked: "You said that because you knew full well Andrew was going to kill [Jeff] didn't you? When he left that morning you knew what he (Andrew) was going to do didn't you?"

She denied it.

Ms Hunter-Jones said that Mr Jenkins had a reputation after allegations he had fired a shotgun when he lived in Birmingham many years ago.

Mrs Jenkins said: "I had never seen that side of Andrew. My Andrew and Birmingham Andrew were different."

She told the jury how she had met Mr and Mrs Mills years ago and the couples became friends.

Later she and Mills became lovers and regularly met secretly in hotels for sex.

Mrs Jenkins said that when Mills wanted to end the affair she was reluctant because she didn't want it to be over.

"We both tried to end the relationship at times."

She was later confronted by Jayne Mills who had discovered the relationship after the two had been seen by a friend booking into a hotel.

Mrs Mills pleaded with her not to tell her 18 stone, six foot husband because of his reputation.

But she did because claiming she didn't want Mrs Mills to have "something over me".

She said that after her confession Mr Jenkins was "like a man on fire."

The jury heard a 999 call made after the shooting, in which she told the police: "I'm not joking [Andrew] is a nutter.

"He's been in prison for shooting somebody before...he's come up here and threatened my old man and my old man is not the sort of bloke you'd p*** off."

Her husband then took over the call and told the operator: "Yeah I shot him...with a gun. I just pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. I was just fearing for my life."

The trial continues.

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