A husband accused of trying to murder his cheating wife was ready to let her have sex with another man once a month as long as she stayed with him , his trial heard yesterday . A close friend told how Joseph O ’ Riordan , 74 , had confided in him about the extraordinary plan for his 47-year-old wife Mandy . O ’ Riordan , a councillor and former nightclub owner , stabbed her eight times in a jealous rage after finding out she had been having an affair with a postman . Extraordinary deal : Joseph O'Riordan stabbed his wife of ten years Amanda ( left ) with a seven inch kitchen knife eight times - yesterday Brighton Crown Court heard he was considering allowing her to have affairs . She suffered life-threatening injuries after being knifed in the torso , chest , arms and back . The jury was also shown dramatic footage of the moment police arrived at the couple ’ s home to be greeted by a ‘ calm ’ O ’ Riordan opening the door . The revelation of his proposal for keeping his wife of ten years came from Alfred Harris . He told how O ’ Riordan had confided five days before the attack that he believed she was having an affair . O ’ Riordan was ‘ choked up and emotional ’ when he said : ‘ I think Amanda is playing away . She ’ s getting her nails and hair done more regularly , she ’ s been on a diet and doesn ’ t want sex. ’ Asking for a suit : O'Riordan sent his wife this letter from his prison cell . The following day , added Mr Harris , the men met for a pub lunch in O ’ Riordan ’ s home village of Polegate , East Sussex . ‘ I saw Joe and he told me that Amanda had been seeing someone else – a guy who drove a van . Joe said he loved Amanda to bits and if she wanted to have sex with someone else once a month that would be okay as long as she stayed with him. ’ In a statement read to Brighton Crown Court , Mr Harris also described the couple as ‘ loving and close ’ . He was ‘ so shocked ’ to learn that O ’ Riordan had attacked his wife at their flat on a residential care home estate . The jury saw images of four police officers , one of whom was wearing a lapel camera , arriving shortly before 10pm last October 22 after racing to the scene . PC Dave Catt said they drew their ‘ incapacitating ’ sprays fearing the knifeman would be still holding his weapon . They were greeted by O ’ Riordan wearing a blood-spattered light blue shirt and holding a cordless phone on which he had phoned for an ambulance . Mr Catt said O ’ Riordan admitted : ‘ I found out that she was having an affair and I lost it. ’ Mrs O ’ Riordan was moaning and lying on a bed , holding a towel to her stomach with a deep chest wound and serious wounds to her hand and back . Paramedics arrived moments later and took her to hospital . Jurors looked at two screens as images of her husband ’ s arrest and subsequent detention at a police station were shown . Growing suspicion : Giving evidence yesterday Alfred Harris – a friend of the couple for more than six years – told how O ’ Riordan had confided in him that he believed his wife was having an affair . Yesterday , jurors at Brighton Crown Court ( above ) were shown dramatic footage of the moment police arrived at the couple ’ s home to be greeted by a ‘ calm ’ Mr O ’ Riordan opening the door . PC Stuart Kenway told how , as O ’ Riordan had opened the door , he ‘ appeared calm and composed and the situation was surreal ’ as he then said : ‘ She is in the bedroom – do you want the knife ? ’ Officers were directed to a 7in blade with a black handle which was in the kitchen . Dr Stephen Drage , an intensive care consultant with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals , told the jury how seriously Mrs O ’ Riordan was hurt . ‘ It is quite clear she was bleeding to death , ’ he said . ‘ She underwent life-saving surgery which took six hours. ’ O ’ Riordan denies attempted murder . The trial continues . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Joseph O'Riordan , 73 , stabbed wife eight times after discovering her affair . She was left with life-threatening injuries to her torso , chest , arms and back . Yesterday Brighton Crown Court heard about deal he was ready to offer her . He had told friend about the idea while in the pub just days before stabbing .