A 57-YEAR-old man yesterday denied murdering his frail, wheelchair-bound wife who weighed only five stone when she died.

Appearing before Teesside Crown Court, Kenneth Hood, of The Garth, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of manslaughter as a result of an assault on his wife, Irene, and a third count of manslaughter as a result of grossly neglecting his wife.

Paul Worsley, prosecuting, told the jury how Kenneth and Irene Hood met when they were neighbours in Kilmarnock, Scotland.

Mrs Hood suffered from severe osteoporosis and had one leg amputated from above the knee, said Mr Worsley.

He said that when her previous husband died, Mr Hood offered to look after her. Eventually, they decided to move to Teesside, where they married.

The couple at first appeared to get along well and Mrs Hood was utterly dependent on her husband.

The court heard, however, how Mrs Hood was taken to hospital in April last year, where she was found to have several fractured bones, multiple bruising, bed sores and malnourished.

The jury was told that from her hospital bed Mrs Hood spoke to a detective and revealed how, following an argument, her husband had grabbed her leg and twisted her ankle and then manhandled her on to their bed, where he punched her on her breast and stomach.

She claimed that Mr Hood had also warned her that if he was charged he would kill her when he got out from prison, the court heard.

Ten days later, however, Mrs Hood gave a second statement saying she had been reconciled with her husband and could not remember how she had sustained her injuries.

Just over a week later, Mrs Hood developed pneumonia and died on May 14, last year.

The trial continues.