Deleted 'insulin overdose ' search found on Middlesbrough murder accused's phone, court told

The jury in the trial of a pharmacist accused of murdering his wife has heard of a deleted internet search relating to giving someone a "huge overdose of insulin".

Mitesh Patel, 37, is accused of strangling his wife, Jessica, so he could start a new life with his male lover in Australia with a £2m life insurance payout and the IVF baby he hoped to conceive with her.

He claimed to have found he 34-year-old on the floor in their home in The Avenue, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, and is accused of staging a break-in to make it look like an intruder had killed her.

Patel denies murdering his wife, who was killed on May 14.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that, after the murder of his wife, syringes containing insulin were found in the defendant's laptop bag.

The jury was told that, two months earlier, searches were made on an iPhone belonging to Patel, and subsequently deleted but they were recovered by police.

They included the phrases "Can 3ml of insulin kill me", "Would it be painful to die from an insulin overdose" and "Can injecting a huge overdose of insulin kill a healthy person".

Jurors have heard that Mitesh Patel was in a secret relationship with Amit Patel, a doctor who emigrated to Sydney, Australia.

Ten days before Mrs Patel's murder, her husband sent Amit Patel an iMessage saying: "You know this plan. Do you think it will succeed?"

Amit Patel replied: "Only you know the answer."

Mitesh Patel then wrote: "Do you think it's a bad plan?"

The jury was also read messages between the married couple in July 2017 in which they discussed paying for IVF treatment, but after she had seen images and texts on his phone which he dismissed as "banter".

Mrs Patel said having her own family was her dream, but she was concerned that it was not the right time to have the treatment, given what she had seen.

Her husband wrote: "I think you are mad, you can forgive me but I won't forgive you for this."

He later added: "I'm being honest with you, the only person I want and have wanted is you.

"I love you and if I didn't, I can assure you, we would be long parted."

He also said: "If you want I won't talk to anyone, like always, I will sacrifice myself."

Jurors have been told that the defendant used the Grindr gay dating app to arrange sexual encounters with men.

Earlier this year, one Grindr user contacted Patel saying his profile on the app was wrong as he claimed to be single.

The jury heard that the user told Patel he had read a newspaper article about him owning a pharmacy with his wife.<

The court has been told Mrs Patel was strangled with a Tesco bag and there was no indication of an insulin overdose.

The trial continues.