Geraldton murder trial: Court hears doctor Chamari Liyanage fed up with husband's sexual coercion.

A doctor accused of murdering her husband attacked him with a hammer in his sleep because she was fed up with his sexual behaviour, including him forcing her into threesomes, a West Australian court has heard.

Chamari Liyanage has pleaded not guilty to murdering her husband, Dinendra Athukorala, who was also a doctor, at their Geraldton home in 2014.

The court heard she had no memory of the event, and her lawyer has previously indicated that the “question of battered wife syndrome” was likely to be an important issue in the case.

In his opening address, state prosecutor Nick Cogan said the couple had an “unhappy” marriage and Liyanage was no longer prepared to put up with her husband’s “controlling” behaviour.

He told the court Liyanage informed police her husband had forced her into sexual relationships with other women and himself.

“There is evidence before the event that Dr Liyanage was so frustrated she could see no other option,” Mr Cogan said.

“The state says that was the reason she took the hammer and used it against her husband.”

Mr Cogan said Liyanage was also unhappy about her husband’s sexual relationship with a 17-year-old friend of the pair.

Triple-0 call played to court

The triple-0 call Liyanage made on the morning her husband died in November, was played to the court.

In the call, which lasted for about 10 minutes, a sobbing Liyanage said she did not know and could not remember what happened to her husband.

“Is somebody hurt? Take some deep breaths,” the operator said.

“I don’t know what’s happened,” Liyanage responded.

“Did you wake up and he was dead?” the operator asked.

“I don’t know, I can’t remember,” Liyanage said.

During the call Ms Liyanage could barely be heard through her sobbing.

Mr Cogan said Liyanage had no injuries on the night of her husband’s death.

“There was no suggestion of physical violence that night from her husband,” Mr Cogan told the court.

Liyanage said she had no memory of the night but she later apologised to her husband’s brother and the ambulance officers who attended the scene, he said.

“Why would you apologise if you didn’t do it?” Mr Cogan said.

“Her actions constituted the offence of murder. Nothing justified what she did.”

But defence counsel George Giudice told the court Liyanage was a “distraught, distressed, battered woman” who was “trapped in an abusive relationship”.

The jury was told a video would be shown during the trial of Liyanage modelling while her husband filmed.

“You will see a glimpse of what she had to put up with behind closed doors,” Mr Giudice said.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.

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