David Hill, 48, allegedly struck grandma-of-five Molly Wright about the head at least eight times with a heavy curved instrument at her bungalow in Redhill Gardens during the brutal attack – leaving her lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Tuesday that Hill, of Lakeside Meadows, Pontefract, fled the scene but later returned and dialled 999 saying had "discovered" Mrs Wright's blood-stained body, which he believed was "already dead".


Nicholas Campbell QC, prosecuting, told a jury: "The prosecution say that in this call, the defendant lied and has continued to lie about the events on that day.
"The prosecution say that he is guilty of her murder."
The court heard Hill had run his own toy stall at Castleford Indoor Market, but went into partnership with Mrs Wright at her greetings card stall after the death of her husband, John, in January 2006.


However, Mr Campbell said Hill was heavily in debt and by the end of July 2006 had exceeded the limit on his credit cards and his current account was over the agreed overdraft limit.
To keep his creditors at bay, he allegedly began to write himself cheques from their joint business account and arranged for bank statements to be sent to him instead of Mrs Wright so he could alter details and photocopy them before she saw them.


But the court heard that on the Monday or Tuesday before the alleged attack on Wednesday September 27 2006, Mrs Wright told Hill she was concerned about the bank making mistakes.
Mr Campbell suggested to the jury that had Mrs Wright taken the forged statements to the bank, he "would have had reason to be worried".


On the day of the murder, a neighbour claimed she saw Hill arriving at Mrs Wright's home in his red Rover saloon car at 2.25pm – an hour before the 999 call was made.
Mr Campbell said: "In between that time, it is the prosecution's case that the defendant had attacked Molly Wright and left her fatally injured."


The prosecution claim that after the two to three minute attack, Hill cleaned up at the scene and then drove away from Redhill Gardens – possibly taking the weapon with him.
He allegedly parked his car, switched on his radio and called home where no one was in to allow the answering machine to record a few minutes of the programme.
Mr Campbell suggested Hill wanted to give the impression he was in his car, and he called Molly Wright's number – knowing her phone was off the hook – to show that he wasn't yet there.


Hill claims he went straight home after closing the stall that morning and did not arrive at Mrs Wright's house until shortly before he made the 999 call.
Mr Campbell said that after calling the police, Mr Hill – who was covered in blood – ran out into the street and shouted for Mrs Wright's neighbour, Eric Smith.

He added: "It looked to him (Mr Smith] as though he (Hill] had been rubbing his face with his bloodied hands.
"The defendant asked 'can you see the bits of Molly all over?'."
When they returned to the house, Mr Smith said Hill appeared to be crying as he was kneeling over Mrs Wright's body after trying to revive her.


However, later that day – when Mr Smith recalled being concerned about seeing the blood over him – Hill allegedly became "agitated" and said: "What are you saying?"
He told Mr Smith he had cuddled Mrs Wright.
The jury was told that Hill was expecting he and his wife Maxine – who have two sons – would get £135,000 from his father-in-law's will.


But Mr Campbell said by August 2006 "it was clear that Molly Wright was already having misgivings about her son-in-law".
She contacted her solicitor while Hill was on holiday in New Zealand with family and asked her to delay probate on the estate because she had heard that Hill might have a boyfriend and wanted to know how a divorce might affect things.


Mr Campbell said whether Mrs Wright had heard such a rumour or "was using it to hide her suspicions about financial irregularities we will never know".
There was no evidence that Hill had been involved in extra-marital affairs.


Hill denies murder.
Proceeding.
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