Adrian Strong, prosecuting, and DC Karen Stead read extracts of interviews the 73-year-old's business partner David Hill gave to police the day after she was found dead in her home on Redhill Garden.

The court heard Hill – who is married to Mrs Wright's youngest daughter Maxine – was being treated as a witness at that time, but later became a suspect.

Hill, 48, of Lakeside Meadows, Pontefract, says he discovered the grandma-of-five's body but denies murder.

The court heard Hill told police he arrived at Mrs Wright's home just after 3pm on the day of the alleged attack, Wednesday September 27 2006.

Mr Strong said Hill knocked on the window and door and got no answer, but as he could see the television was on and the patio doors were open, he climbed over a padlocked gate to get into the bungalow.

He told police: "I saw her as soon as I walked in." He said he noticed blood on the fridge and floor and a pillow next to her, and he ran over and cradled her in his arms.

He said "skin or flesh or something" had got on him and: "I remember trying to get this bloody thing off my hand." He said he put her back down to put a pillow under her head, and "this is where it all goes fuzzy".

He told police: "I picked the pillow up and it was like there was nothing there so I fluffed it up. That's when I noticed all the blood spray." He said he saw the telephone was off the hook and dialled 999, asking for the police and an ambulance.

Mr Strong said: "He could not remember what happened next, but thought he had run out of the patio door and shouted to Molly's next door neighbour." He said he and the neighbour returned to the bungalow through the front door and he remembered the ambulance service would be calling back.

He told police he attempted to clear Mrs Wright's airways but there was a lot of blood and that he tried to give her "mouth to mouth".

He said shortly after, he ran around the bungalow to see if the person who had attacked Mrs Wright was still there, and while he was in her bathroom washed his hands.

He said: "I just started shaking, trying to get all the blood off me." He told police he also looked in the garage and said: "I was running around like a loony, I didn't know what I was doing really." Hill had told police that things were coming back to him in "flash backs".

Robert Smith QC, defending, asked DC Sean Bartram – who conducted the interview – if Hill would have been treated differently by police if he had been a suspect.

DC Bartram replied he would have been arrested and read his rights.

Mr Smith asked him if he was aware Hill had been to the doctors about his blood pressure before he attended the police station that morning.

He replied: "I think I remember, yes."

He said Hill did not see the force medical examiner to establish if he was fit to give "accurate information".

Nicholas Campbell QC, prosecuting, asked DC Bartram if Hill had given him any indication he was not fit to be interviewed as a witness.

DC Bartram replied: "No, not at all."

Proceeding.

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