Maxine Hill told Leeds Crown Court on Friday that she did not think her husband David, 48, would ever hurt Molly Wright – whom he claims he found in a pool of blood at her home in Redhill Gardens.

The prosecution say Hill "lost his temper" during a confrontation and battered the 73-year-old repeatedly over the head with a heavy, curved weapon during a two to three minute attack on Wednesday September 27 2006.

It is alleged he was in debt by more than £20,000 and had been altering and photocopying bank statements to hide that he was secretly taking money for a joint business account he shared with the widow for their greetings cards and toy stall at Castleford indoor market.

Hill, of Lakeside Meadows, claims he found her body and denies murder.

Mrs Hill said the week before the alleged attack, she visited her mother at her home unexpectedly and found her working at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.

She told the jury Mrs Wright had four sheets of A4 paper, an old razor and may have had correction fluid and some pens.

She said: "She had taken the blade out of the razor and she had nicked her finger, and had some old grey gloves that she had put on so she didn't cut her finger again. The plaster had come off inside the finger in the glove."

She added: "She didn't want me to look at what she was doing, and I respected that because it was mum's work."

She said she asked Mrs Wright what she was doing with the blade: "And she was saying she wouldn't let the VAT man know how much she earned."

She told the jury she didn't tell the police at the time because she didn't realise "the significance".

When Mr Smith asked her if she would tell a lie in relation to her mother's death, Mrs Hill replied: "Never. If I thought David was guilty I would say so."

When Mr Smith asked her about her husband's behaviour in the days that followed her mother's death, she said he was in "disbelief" at what had happened, "total grief" and had been having nightmares.

In cross examination, Nicholas Campbell QC, prosecuting, asked Mrs Hill what she said to police after she was told her mother had been killed and her husband's clothes had been seized.

She replied: "I hope you're not implying David's involved."

Mr Campbell asked: "Did you ask if David had hurt your mother?"

She said: "No."

Mr Campbell showed Mrs Hill the statement she gave to the police on October 20 2006, after her husband had been arrested, in which she said she had asked that question, but she told the court she did not remember.

Mr Campbell asked: "Your thought process was that when his clothing had been taken that David may have hurt your mother?"

Mrs Hill replied: "I don't think David would ever hurt my mother."

She said that she thought he was being regarded as a suspect because his clothing had been taken.

Mrs Hill told Mr Campbell that her husband told her that he had lied to the police about his movements on the day of Mrs Wright's death in his interview as a witness the next day, and about his debts – which he had concealed from her – while he was on remand at Armley Prison.

The court has previously heard Hill accept he lied about driving into Ropergate in Pontefract to book a hairdressers' appointment for his son.

He claims he went to the Airedale Triangle to find a customer who owed him money for a toy motorbike they had brought on credit the previous Christmas.

Mr Campbell said: "You must have been upset with him for telling a lie."

Mrs Hill replied: "Yes."

She said her husband didn't want her to know the financial situation he was in and hadn't realised he was a suspect.

Proceeding.

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