Conrad Iyayi, 45, is accused of murdering his wife Katy Harris, 52, in a “brutal and needless killing” after taking drugs.

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He claims it was only when he walked by the kitchen the next day that he realised what he thought had been a dream “must have been reality”.

Katy – who worked at a community special needs school in Mickleover, Derbyshire – was found face-down in a pool of blood, wearing just a t-shirt, a Derby Crown Court jury heard.

Prosecutor Gordon Aspen KC said their son didn’t hear what happened and “knew nothing” about his mum’s death until the following day.

Mr Aspen said: “During the night of February 5, 2022 into the early hours of February 6, this defendant murdered Kathryn by stabbing her to death in the kitchen of their family home.

“It is not necessary to prove this defendant’s precise motive and in truth only two people knew.

“One of them, Kathryn, is dead and this defendant has consistently refused to reveal the truth.

“However there is evidence you will hear that drugs and alcohol he had chosen to take prior to the murder played a part in his actions.”

Iyayi called 999 from a telephone kiosk at the around 7.17am on February 6, the court heard.

In it, he said: “Just get the police here straight away. Get the police here, I have killed somebody.”

When asked who he had killed, Iyayi replied: “My wife.”

Mr Aspden continued: “Uniformed officers arrived and he met them in the street.

“He had a deep cut to his left hand and he had heavily blood-stained clothing.

“They asked him what had happened and he said ‘I think my wife might be dead, I am not saying anything I want to see a solicitor’.”

The court heard that while in custody, Iyayi told cops: “I buy methadone on the dark web.”

Mr Aspden also said Iyayi gave a prepared statement to the cops ahead of a police interview.

In it he said he ingested what he thought was methadone sometime after 10.30pm on February 5, the court heard.

The statement read: “I was hallucinating, my heart was beating making me think I was going to die. I woke up the next morning and walked past the kitchen where I saw my wife.

“What I thought was a dream must have been reality and I contacted the police.

“I had no intention of harming Kathryn, prior to this incident we’d had a nice evening cooking together and watching TV.”

Iyayi denies murder.

The trial continues.