by Keith Hunt

The wife of love cheat soldier Nicholas Fabian - who is accused of trying to kill her - told today of the moment her car exploded as she drove away from their home.

Victoria Fabian was about six months pregnant when she got into her mother's Mazda with son Charlie, aged nine, by a previous relationship in the front passenger seat.

Mrs Fabian was taking the car back to her mother in Tonbridge. Fabian, 33, was to follow in the family's Vauxhall Zafira with their son Harry, aged four.

The 33-year-old nurse, who limped on crutches into the witness box at Maidstone Crown Court, wept as she described what happened as she left the house at Highview, Vigo, near Gravesend on March 5 last year.

"Nick drove out of the parking space first," she said. "I moved my car to reverse.

"The windscreen shattered. There was a loud bang.

"I can remember thinking a tree or something had fallen on the car. Charlie was asking what had happened. I said I didn't know but he was to get out of the car.

"I couldn't feel anything from the waist down. The next thing I remember is Nick running towards me crying.

"He took something off to put the fire out on my leg. I was telling him to get me out of the car.

"I couldn't move and that he needed to get me out of the car. He was trying to get me out.

"He pulled me out. Another man helped. At first I sat down in the car park because my jeans were on fire.

"They carried me to the pavement. My legs were bleeding. I remember I was losing a lot of blood.

"By this time the car had caught fire."

Kent Air Ambulance arrived and airlifted her to hospital, where she was treated for two months.

"I had a blast injury to my left leg," said Mrs Fabian. "I had a hole to the left of my leg and a whole to the right of my leg.

"It had a skin graft. They used part of my calf to fill the hole in."

Charlie and her baby were unharmed. The third child was born on June 7.

Fabian, who was having an affair, is alleged to have booby-trapped the car with a grenade.

He denies attempting to murder Mrs Fabian, causing her grievous bodily harm with intent and causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious damage to property.

He admits possessing 95 rounds of 5.56mm rifle bullets without a firearms certificate between January 27 and March 6.

The trial continues.