A MAN who killed his common-law wife hours after her brother's funeral called 999 and said: "I've just killed my wife who I've been with for 29 years. It's f*****g disgraceful," a court heard.

Grieving Angela Smeaton died of "catastrophic" blood loss after being stabbed in the head, neck and arm by partner Paul Smart.

The 49-year-old had a history of violence, once pinned her against a wall and threatened her with a knife, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Smart admits manslaughter but denies murder, and faces a trial after claiming loss of control and self-defence for the April 15 killing.

Hartlepool chip shop boss Ms Smeaton, 50, was stabbed 12 times in the attack, according to pathologist Jennifer Bolton.

In the 1.09am emergency call - played to the jury - he told the operator: "I've just killed my wife who I've been with for 29 years. It's f*****g disgraceful,"

Smart was also heard to say: "Sorry love, you pushed me too much."

Tim Roberts, QC, prosecuting, said: "The operator asked him were there any signs of life and he seemed to remark, rather casually you might think, that she might be breathing or moving, but he was in the toilet relieving himself at the time he was on the phone.

"He said to the operator, that there had been a massive argument over his son, and he said repeatedly 'it's my fault'."

Smart blamed himself at the police station and on the journey there, said Mr Roberts but an hour later altered his account.

He was having two cuts to the back of his hand examined when he said Ms Smeaton had gone at him with a knife and in interview with detectives, 16 hours after his arrest, he said the wounds were caused as he tried to defend himself.

Mr Roberts told the jury: "He told the police that his partner Angela had approached him in the kitchen of their home, hiding a knife.

"She had gone to throw it at him or strike him with it in some other way. He had disarmed her, taking the knife into his own hand and, in what he described as a sharp shock sort of thing, he had stabbed her with her own bread knife three times in the neck in emotion and in quick succession.

"He was asked by the police why he had done it, and he said 'I felt threatened and I just snapped'."

Mr Roberts said police had been called to the couple's home in Eddlestone Walk "on a number of occasions" between 1995 and 2006.

In 2001, Smart pinned her against a wall and threatened her with a knife during a domestic argument.

The trial continues.