A CARE home owner blamed for the death of an elderly resident has denied claims he puts profits before people.

Matt Matharu told a jury today (Monday, November 24) that he would never cut corners because competition in the industry was so fierce.

He said he wanted his home in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool - and the other five he owned - to be considered among the best.

The 50-year-old businessman is on trial at Teesside Crown Court accused of a string of breaches of the Health and Safety Act.

It follows the death of 90-year-old resident Norah Elliott at ParkView Care Home in Station Lane in October 2012.

She fell from a conservatory roof after climbing out of a window in the first-floor room she shared with her husband.

The prosecution claims Mr Matharu was negligent in not having the window secured, but he insists it was.

He said Mrs Elliott could have been intent on suicide or escaping, and either she or her husband tampered with the restrictor.

Mr Matharu told a court he was happy with the safety measures and the inspections that were carried out by staff.

He admitted cleaners were in part responsible for carrying out the checks, even though they were not specifically trained.

And he denied a suggestion from prosecutor James Kemp that he would spend as little as he could to maintain his homes.

"The investment is colossal," he told the jury. "You cannot cut corners in a care home. We certainly can't do things on the cheap."

Experts examined all the windows at the home following the tragedy, and revealed some of the restrictors were missing or broken.

Mr Matharu told the jury that the repairs he had carried out were satisfactory - even if they involved just one screw.

He also claimed that he had unearthed what could be a vital piece of evidence to help clear him - just days ago.

On Saturday, he had the gutters and soffits cleaned for the first time, and says a workman discovered a one-inch screw.

He criticised a police search for clues - a missing chain, screw or screwdriver - so had his own carried out two years on.

When asked by Mr Kemp if the screw was from the window at the centre of the probe, he said: "It is a distinct possibility."

He denies charges of failing to ensure residents were not exposed to risk, and failing to maintain devices.

Mr Matharu, of Elwick Road, Hartlepool, also denies failing to make appropriate health and safety arrangements and to report a death.

The trial continues.