A man "flipped" and strangled his wife after she told him she was leaving him for someone else a court heard.

Gary Brockwell, 48, is accused of murdering his wife Gaynor at their Forestdale home after the 46-year-old told him she had been having an affair and was leaving that night.

The Old Bailey heard the pair, who were childhood sweethearts, spent the evening of Friday October 7 last year with friends at The Coach House Pub in Chesham, where their daughter Gemma worked.

When they returned to their home in Osward, Court Wood Lane, the pair danced before Mrs Brockwell broke the news.

John McGuinness prosecuting, said: "Gaynor got changed into a dressing gown and they continued dancing for a while.

"Then Gaynor said to him "You know how much I love you but I'm seeing someone, I'm going tonight. She stroked his face."

Mr Brockwell, a senior manager at a civil engineering company where his wife also worked, told police he felt "angry and patronised and flipped."

The court heard about two hours later he called his son Garry and said: "I've killed your mother."

After a number of calls Garry made his way to the house where he discovered his mum's lifeless body.

Giving evidence, Garry said his father had been "inconsolable" when he had called.

"He said my mother was dead. He was very patchy-seemed quite upset, breathing heavily and a bit distraught. He was not making a lot of sense."

Dressed in a dark blue suit, blue shirt and blue tie, Mr Brockwell wiped tears from his eyes as his son took to the witness stand.

The court heard prior to his police interview Mr Brockwell made a number of unsolicited statements to officers.

Mr McGuinness told the jury of 10 women and two men his comments included 'I just never thought I'd be capable of something like that' and 'I can't get her face out of my head' before he started to sob."

Mr Brockwell denies murder but admits manslaughter on the grounds his lost control.

He maintains he didn't intend to kill his wife.

The trial continues.