THE son of Georgina Edmonds has told jurors of the moment he discovered his mother lying dead in a pool of blood.

Harry Edmonds described how he had got into her home through a sash window and found her on the floor in a pool of blood.

Mr Edmonds, a coffee importer, was living at Kingfisgher House at weekends close to his mother's cottage in Brambridge.

He said he left work in Basingstoke at 4.30pm on January 11, 2008 and when he arrived at the property it was all dark.

He said: "It all looked so dark it just seemed to be a forbodng atmosphere. I don't know why it should be like that, but I was conscious of it."

Mr Edmonds could not reach his mother on the phone and thought she was 'having a snooze' the court heard.

He said he thought it odd when he rang again and found no answer so walked down to the cottage.

After gaining entry to the house, he said he saw some legs on the floor and thought his mother had had an accident.

But when he switched on the light, he saw his mother on the ground not moving, jurors heard.

"There was granny, lying on the ground, flat on her face and there was a huge pool of blood coming from under her head."

He said he told Mrs Edmond's dog walker, Ian Wrightson, who had just returned to the house, not to come in the room because it was 'clearly a crime scene', but Mr Wrightson wanted to check for signs of life.

Mr Edmonds said: "He said 'no she's cold, she's dead'.

"Ian got the phone, dialled 999 handed me the telephone. A young lady answered and I said 'I think there's been a murder here'."

The court heard he had not spoken to his mother that day but had been on the point of calling her that morning but decided not to because of work, "which I regret now, of course", he added.

Matthew Hamlen, 33, of Hamilton Road, Bishopstoke, denies murder.