Mr MacDonald, 41, denies killing distillery worker Mr MacKinnon at his Teangue home by shooting him.

He also denies trying to kill his wife Rowena MacDonald, 34, at her Tarskavaig home by fighting her and stabbing her repeatedly with a knife.

He also denied trying to kill retired osteopath John MacKenzie and his wife Fay, both 65, at their home in Dornie, Wester Ross, by firing a gun at them.

Rowena MacDonald testified at the start of the trial, telling the jury that her husband attacked her in front of their children, leaving her covered in blood, because he suspected he was having an affair.

Defense counsel Donald Findlay KC questioned her about a series of text messages she exchanged with her boss, asking how many she would say were “flirtatious”.

Ms McDonald said a “hand”, later saying: “We were friends – aren’t you friends with someone you work with?”

Mr Findlay had told Ms MacDonald that if a boss sent such messages to employees, he could be set up for sexual harassment.

On Tuesday, the court heard Mr MacDonald told Dr Sujay: “I was depending on my ex-wife to make all the decisions at home but she let me down.”

Defending, Mr Findlay said: “The triggering event appears to have been his wife’s betrayal as he saw it.”

The psychiatrist said, “As he saw.”

The trial before Judge Lady Drummond continues.