A husband accused of trying to murder his cheating wife wrote her an extraordinary letter while remanded in prison asking her to send him a suit for his trial , a court heard yesterday . Joseph O'Riordan , 73 , stabbed his 47-year-old wife Amanda eight times after he discovered she had been having an affair with a postman . She was left with life-threatening injuries to her torso , chest , arms and back . Joseph O'Riordan stabbed his wife of ten years Amanda ( left ) with a seven inch kitchen knife eight times . O'Riordan , who was a councillor at the time , rang an ambulance after the attack in October last year and admitted what he had done during the 999 call . Yesterday it emerged that four months later , while on remand , O'Riordan wrote to his wife from jail asking her to 'get my things together ' before for his trial . Meanwhile Mrs O'Riordan , during questioning by her husband 's defence team in court yesterday , sobbed : ' I did not want to hurt Joe . I never wanted to hurt him… even now . All of this is my fault because I had an affair . ' In the letter , which was posted from prison on February 4 this year , O'Riordan asked his wife to gather some of his belongings and give them to his son , including a 'decent jumper ' and his 'beige casual jacket ' . He also asked for his 'blue suit ' and 'three ties that will go with the suit ' , which he said he needed for the trial . His letter went on : 'You will be fully aware that I can not make any mention of the case . ' I hope and pray that your recovery continues to progress and you will always remain in my heart – God bless , Joe . ' O'Riordan sobbed as the letter was read out at Brighton Crown Court yesterday . His wife also broke down in the witness box as she gave evidence from behind a screen . The case was adjourned for 90 minutes to give Mrs O'Riordan time to regain her composure . Prosecutor Dale Sullivan asked if she had been expecting the letter and she replied : 'No – I was n't expecting anything from him . ' Earlier , video footage of a pre-recorded police interview with Mrs O'Riordan was played to the court , in which she described her husband as 'passionate and vocally volatile ' but said he had never 'laid a finger on her before . ' She said she thought he might have suffered from 'mild depression ' because he could be 'up one minute and down the next ' . During later questioning by O'Riordan 's defence counsel Peter Doyle QC , she said she and her husband were 'soulmates ' . The couple , from Polegate , East Sussex , met in 1991 and had been married for ten years at the time of the attack , the court heard . Brighton Magistrates ' Court heard that four months after attack , while on remand , O'Riordan wrote to his wife from jail asking her to 'get my things together ' before for his trial . But Mrs O'Riordan said that last year she felt 'smothered ' by her husband and wanted 'more me time . ' This was the 'trigger ' for her brief affair with postman Nicholas Gunn , who has since moved away from the area . 'It was not something I had ever done before , ' she told the court . O'Riordan found out about the affair after hiring a private detective to follow her . He had also asked his friends to watch her . The jury heard that a row had developed between the pair on October 22 while they were visiting Mrs O'Riordan 's mother after O'Riordan received a phone call , believed to be from Mr Gunn . Mrs O'Riordan said they then went to a KFC restaurant and in the car on the way home her husband became angry and she tried to get out , but was 'dragged ' back and held down . Once the couple were home , she said her husband came into their bedroom brandishing a kitchen knife as he cried : 'You have made me do this . This is all your fault . ' Mrs O'Riordan also said that just days before the assault her husband had talked of 'finishing her off and then himself ' . She added : ' I just thought that was talk as it was not said in anger . I never read anything into it . It was not said with malice but it was said maybe a week before he attacked me . ' O'Riordan was sitting on Polegate Town Council , East Sussex , at the time . He was also president of his local Royal British Legion and was invited to the Queen 's garden party in 2013 for helping to arrange parts of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations . O'Riordan has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder . The trial continues . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Joseph O'Riordan , October 22 , stabbed wife eight times after discovering her affair . She was left with life-threatening injuries to her torso , chest , arms and back . O'Riordan rang ambulance for Amanda and admitted attack in the 999 call . Court heard while on remand he asked her to 'get things together ' for trial .