The distressing 999 call for assistance was made by Smith at 9.45am on 1st March 2007, just seconds after he claims to have discovered the body of battered Skegby pensioner Hilda Owen.

Prosecutors claim Smith (44), who lives next door to Owen on West Hill, killed her some time between 26th February and 1st March 2007 and faked the call claiming he had accidentally stumbled upon the gruesome murder scene.

During the four-minute long call an hysterical Smith broke down into tears a number of times and had to be told to calm down by the phone operator.

Smith said: "She's dead...I need an ambulance please. Hilda is inside, oh my god. She's dead....she's dead, I saw her on the floor...she's dead (break down into tears). I can't look at her, there is too much blood, she is just lying there, I don't know what happened, I have not seen her since Tuesday...oh god."

He was then asked by the call centre if he wanted instructions on how to help Hilda.

Smith said: "She is covered in blood, I don't know if she can be helped, I can't look at her and she is not moving, there is blood everywhere... (breaks down into tears).

"I don't know what has happened but it looks like she has been attacked. I'm in my house, I can't look at her, there is blood everywhere."

The call then ended at 9.49am following the arrival of paramedics at the scene.