Claire Bridger Stabs Estranged Husband Keith Bridger After Learning He Euthanized Their Rescue Dogs, Court Hears

A British woman “saw red” and stabbed her estranged husband after learning he had euthanized their two beloved rescue dogs, a moment she told a court caused her to lose control amid months of emotional distress.

Claire Bridger, 64, stood trial at Norwich Crown Court for attempted murder after allegedly stabbing her husband of nearly 40 years, Keith Bridger, in the chest and abdomen during a confrontation at his Norfolk home on July 17, 2025.

Claire, a registered school nurse and mother of two, testified that she had been struggling to cope with the couple’s separation and had been prescribed medication and taken time off work. She told jurors she had also been drinking on the day of the incident and experienced what she described as “temporary amnesia” after learning the dogs had been put down.

She said she never intended to kill Keith but admitted she intended to cause him harm.

Prosecutors told the court the couple adopted their first rescue dachshund in March 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown, and adopted a second dog about a year later. After the couple separated roughly a year before the stabbing, the dogs remained in Keith’s care.

Keith testified that he struggled to manage the dogs at his one-bedroom home, citing behavioral issues and repeated failed attempts to rehome them. Ultimately, he made the decision to have the dogs euthanized.

Claire told the court she had been warned by one of the couple’s daughters that the dogs could be put down if she did not return home, but she believed it was a tactic meant to pressure her into reconciliation.

“I thought it was nonsense,” she said. “I never believed they would actually put the dogs down.”

On the day of the attack, Claire said she immediately sensed something was wrong when she arrived at Keith’s home.

“I suddenly thought, ‘I can’t hear the dogs,’ because they were yappy,” she testified.

According to her account, she confronted Keith as he returned from a motorcycle ride, repeatedly asking where the dogs were. She told the court that after several demands, he finally said, “The dogs are dead. I had them put down.”

Claire described the moment as feeling like “an explosion in my head.” She recalled stepping out of her car before blacking out, with her next memory being a neighbor pulling her away from Keith as police arrived.

Prosecutors said Claire was heard shouting, “He killed my dogs,” as officers responded to the scene. Keith was treated for life-threatening injuries at the scene.

Claire told the court the knife used in the stabbing had been in her car because it was damaged and placed in a bag of rubbish she intended to take to the dump. She said the knife fell out of the bag and onto the front passenger seat shortly before the confrontation.

Keith testified that he believed his wife already knew the dogs had been euthanized, as the veterinary clinic had previously contacted her. He said Claire became “almost hysterical” when he confirmed their deaths.

After a five-day trial, the jury unanimously found Claire not guilty of attempted murder, but convicted her of wounding with intent.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 20.