The two women in Fabian's life: mistress Jackie Phillips, left, and wife Victoria. Phillips picture supplied by Kent Media/Sidcup Jim Bennett

by Keith Hunt

Love cheat soldier Nick Fabian is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of trying to kill his wife by booby-trapping her car outside their home.

The jury of eight women and four men convicted the 33-year-old father of attempted murder and causing an explosion likely to endanger life after retiring for just over an hour.

He had admitted possessing 95 rounds of 5.56mm rifle bullets without a firearms certificate.

Fabian showed no emotion as the unanimous verdicts were returned. His wife Victoria stayed outside the court.

Judge Andrew Patience QC will pass sentence tomorrow morning.

Defence QC Michael Wood told the judge: "I do not ask for reports for obvious reasons. Everyone knows what the sentence will be."

Maidstone Crown Court heard Fabian booby-trapped his wife's Mazda with a grenade at their home in Highview, Vigo village, near Gravesend, in March last year.

Pregnant Mrs Fabian, 33, a district nurse at Tonbridge Cottage Hospital, suffered serious leg injuries, while her son Charlie, nine, and unborn child escaped unharmed.

Fabian, who was on the reservist list at the time and due to be posted later that month to Afghanistan, stole a grenade while on Army training and rigged it so that it exploded when the car moved off.

The blast happened as Mrs Fabian was about to return the car to her mother in Tonbridge. Fabian was in the family Vauxhall Zafira with their four-year-old son Harry.

Fabian, who was having an affair with work colleague Jackie Phillips, pulled his wife from the burning car as she screamed in pain with her legs on fire