Wife 'alive and well' half an hour before 999 call

Sian Hammond died at her home in Histon on 30 October, the court heard

A mortgage broker accused of murdering his wife at their home told medics he had last seen her alive and well 30 minutes before he called 999, a court has heard.

Sian Hammond's body was discovered at a house in Primes Corner, Histon, Cambridgeshire, on 30 October.

Prosecutors at Cambridge Crown Court said her husband Robert Hammond faced a "surging mountain of debt and financial pressures" and had paid his wife Sian's life insurance policy up to date days before her death.

A post-mortem examination indicated Mrs Hammond had been strangled. Mr Hammond denies murder.

Mr Hammond, 47, called the ambulance service at 01:50 GMT on 30 October and told the operator he had found his 46-year-old wife face down on the bed and not breathing.

Air ambulance doctor Abilius Wong attended the couple's home in a response vehicle at 02:06, the trial heard.

Dr Wong told jurors on Wednesday: "According to my memory, he [Mr Hammond] told us he had last seen the patient well about 30 minutes before the 999 call was made."

Critical care paramedic Sally Boor, who attended in the car with Dr Wong, was asked by defence barrister Karim Khalil KC if Mr Hammond may "in fact have said 30 to 60 and you noted the first bit and not the second bit".

She replied that it was "unlikely but possible".

Mrs Hammond's body was found at a property in Primes Corner, Histon, in October

Ms Boor recalled that during CPR, blood had come up through one of the tubes inserted by medics into Mrs Hammond's mouth.

"It's not typical for it to happen at such an early stage," she said, adding: "It normally occurs after 20 to 30 minutes of resuscitation."

She said she had been told that Mrs Hammond had earlier taken diazepam that was not her own, "because she was excited and nervous about her daughter coming back from Switzerland later that day".

Emergency care assistant Carl Clifton, who also attended the scene, was asked by prosecutor Mr Paxton if there was "ever any sign of life".

"No, there was not," he said, agreeing that Mrs Hammond was pronounced dead at 02:35 following CPR efforts.

He said that eight medics attended the address to try to save Mrs Hammond.

'She bruises easily'

PC Richard Jenkins, who also attended the scene, said he contacted his sergeant "based on the evidence that had been given to me", and "there were a number of concerns".

He agreed with the prosecutor that he noted "a number of bruises and marks" on Mrs Hammond and "at the top of the stairs there was a broken picture frame".

The officer asked if Mrs Hammond had any injuries on her, and the defendant replied: "She bruises easily."

Mr Hammond said his wife "doesn't get prescribed them (diazepam) - her mother gets them for her".

In court, Mr Khalil, defending, told PC Jenkins that in the interview the defendant "was saying 'I'm not certain about timing"'.

"He was struggling, it seems, in front of you, to be precise about the times of things that had happened," Mr Khalil said.

The barrister gave several examples, including that Mr Hammond said in the interview that he ate steak and chips for dinner with Mrs Hammond between 16:00 and 17:00.

The officer said that Hammond "was being vague on times, I can say that".

The trial continues.