Taperoo stabbing: Shocking twist for Adelaide grandmother Caroll Hopkinson accused of stabbing her husband to death

A psychiatric nurse accused of murdering her husband wept in court after she was granted bail.

Caroll Hopkinson, 58, has spent the past five weeks behind bars after she was is accused of murdering her husband Simon at their Taperoo home in Adelaide’s west on July 7.

The court heard Hopkinson called emergency services after allegedly stabbing her husband with a knife during a struggle.

She appeared in Adelaide District Court via video link on Tuesday for a bail hearing.

Her attorney Jeff Powell argued that their client posed no risk and that there was no risk of repeating the crime or fleeing.

The prosecutor also raised concerns about Hopkinson’s mental health during the hearing, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

“Our biggest concern is whether her mental health is stable enough and whether that stability is maintained throughout the proceedings so that we can ensure that she is still with us during those proceedings,” the prosecutor told the court.

“We fear that she will commit suicide.”

Carroll Hopkinson left Adelaide Women’s Prison shortly after 6pm on Tuesday evening after being released on bail

The psychiatric nurse is accused of stabbing her husband Simon to death last month

The prosecutor recommended that Hopkinson be placed under house arrest.

But Mr Powell told the court his client could get the support she needed with bail.

Chief Magistrate Mary Hribal agreed that Hopkinson posed no danger to the community and released her on bail.

Hopkinson, wearing a brightly striped sweater and orange trousers and a , left Adelaide Women’s Prison shortly after 6pm on Tuesday night. Reporters asked her if she was relieved to be leaving prison.

“That’s me,” she replied before being chased away.

Mr Powell previously told the court that Hopkinson woke up that morning to a strange noise coming from the bathroom.

Hopkinson is said to have found Simon, who was also a psychiatric nurse, trying to end his life.

Caroll Hopkinson told reporters she was relieved to be free on bail before she was taken away

Panicked, she ran towards him to get a knife and stop him, but an “aggressive” Simon then turned on her, her lawyer said.

“She understood his response as ‘why are you stopping me from doing something I need to do.’ That’s how she interpreted his response,” Powell told the court last month.

“He took the knife from her and attacked her. She had cuts on her hands from trying to defend herself. There was a struggle and then she grabbed the knife back.”

Simon then attacked his wife, who reportedly stabbed him out of fear for her life.

Hopkinson was released on bail until her next court appearance in September.

No request has been submitted yet.