Woman accused of killing husband told police 'only way you can say I murdered him is because I turned his machine off'

Mrs Pugh, 34 and of Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, denies murder.

Mr Pugh, who was 29, died in hospital on March 23, 2022, after suffering neck compression injuries at his wife's property in Newport the evening before.

The prosecution allege the injuries were caused by Mrs Pugh, but she claims Mr Pugh hanged himself from the back door of the property due to his own concerns over whether his new girlfriend was pregnant.

The latest evidence has seen the transcripts of police interviews with Mrs Pugh read to the court.

She was interviewed three times on April 22, 2022, after she was first arrested on suspicion of murder.

In the interviews she rejected the officers' suggestions that she had been responsible for her husband's death, saying: "The only way you can say I murdered him is because I turned his machine off - that's it."

She added: "If you call that murder then I did that, but I did not do what you just tried to put together."

Mrs Pugh told police she found her husband hanging from the handle of the back door of the property by a belt at 8.45pm, when she went to let her dog out.

She said he had left the property earlier that evening, between 6.30pm and 7pm after a row about whether his new girlfriend was pregnant.

The court has been told that she did not call 999 until 9.04pm, and had called her father several times before - speaking to him on two occasions.

During her third interview with police on April 22, officers asked why she had not mentioned in the previous two interviews that she had called her father.

In response she said: "Because it was before the 999 call. I should have called 999 1,000 per cent first and I know I should. I didn't, I panicked and rang my dad."

Asked about what she said during the calls, including a second one that lasted around six minutes, she said: "I was panicking - 'dad, what the f*** do I do, he's not moving, he's not breathing, what do I do?'."

Pressed on what his response was, Mrs Pugh said: "My dad just shouted at me to call the ambulance so I did."

Asked why the call had lasted so long, she told officers it was because she was hysterical, saying: "He is telling me what to do, he's saying 'have you got this, have you got that off, have you got the belt, have you done this, have you done that - right, now listen to me Amy, you have got to ring the ambulance, you have got to do this', he has calmed me down because I was hysterical."

Further interviews took place on August 26, when Mrs Pugh was asked if there had been a violent confrontation before her husband's death.

Responding, she said: "If an argument went bad between me and Kyle, if it went violent between me and Kyle, trust me you would know, no question about it."

She added: "He would have bruises everywhere. I have done it before."

Police also questioned her over messages to her father in the days following her husband's death.

Julian Evans KC, prosecuting, told the court that police had asked Mrs Pugh about messages from her father which told her "do what I said", and "don't alter anything".

She said it was advice not to change herself, adding it was "just normal advice" because he was concerned about her.

Mr Smith also read extracts which showed she had asked her father for 'knuckles' to take to Mr Pugh's funeral.

Asked why she had requested them, she told police it was "if anything starts".

The trial continues.