A PHARMACIST accused of murdering his wife told her family he was the dominant one who could do whatever he wanted just hours before she died, a court has heard.

Mitesh Patel, 37, spoke to the father and uncle of his wife, Jessica, at the pharmacy which they ran together hours before she was found strangled at their home in Middlesbrough in May.

Jessica Patel, 34, was strangled at her home in Middlesbrough in May this year.

Mr Patel denies murdering his wife and says he knew nothing about her death, but the prosecution say he faked a break-in at their home and he was the one who strangled her.

He told police he arrived home and discovered his wife on the living room floor with her hands and feet tied.

He told his wife’s family in the days following her death that if he ever got his hand on the murderer he would kill them himself.

The court heard more details about Mr Patel’s infidelity, after a jury at Teesside Crown Court was told earlier this week he cheated on his wife with men he met through dating app Grindr.

Nicholas Campbell, prosecuting, said Mr Patel admitted to police in his interview he had met a handful of people on the app, and when asked if he had ever strayed, he answered, “yes”.

He also told police: “We were very happy in our own little world.

“We told each other everything – sometimes she might not want to hear it, but we still do.

“She was my best mate. We had no secrets”

The court heard yesterday the couple has struggled for years to have a child.

Mr Campbell said: “They had waited six years to see if Jessica Patel could have a child. The prosecution case is that Mr Patel decided he could wait no longer.”

The court heard Mr Patel had previously put his hands around his wife’s neck and “made jokes about it”, but she had told him to stop as “sometimes it hurts”.

Mrs Patel’s uncle, Sharadkumar, said she had raised concerns about her marriage to her family during a holiday in 2012.

He said in a statement: “Mitesh came home from work and would go into another room and talk to a man.

“It would happen every night and he would spend hours talking to him.” Sharadkumar asked Mrs Patel if her husband was gay, but she said she would “make it work”.

Divya Patel, one of Jessica’s sisters, discovered text messages on Mr Patel’s phone from the same man he had been talking to on the phone, which included kisses between them and declarations of love.

“We showed Jessica the message – she was very upset and she was crying. She didn’t want to believe it.”

Mr Patel also sent a text message to his wife’s father, Jayantilal, saying he was “interfering” and it “can’t continue”.

Jessica’s father said the texts had left him “gobsmacked” as he had only wanted to spent time with his family.

“It was just a simple request, it was not forced or saying they had to be there.

“As parents, it would be nice for them to come along.”

In cross examination, Toby Hedworth, defending, said the dominating comment had been in relation to how they ran the pharmacy together.

He said: “He was the one in charge of the business and Jessica supported. When you left them, they were on good terms and there was no tension between them.”

The trial continues.