THE man accused of murdering a grandmother told police he did not know how they could have forensically linked him to the murder weapon, a court heard.

“I didn’t do it so I was surprised by what you think you have got,” Matthew Hamlen told detectives while in custody for four days last summer following his arrest for the murder of Georgina Edmonds.

Asked if he could explain the link, he said: “Not till I know what it is. Whatever it is there’s going to be an innocent explanation.”

Jurors at Winchester Crown Court heard the interviews read out and watched a video recording of one.

Mrs Edmonds, 77, was found bludgeoned to death in her cottage in Brambridge on January 11 2008.

Jurors have heard from a scenes of crime examiner how Hamlen was as close a fit as any individual to a partial DNA profile found on a rolling pin that prosecutors say was the murder weapon.

Asked whether he had been at Mrs Edmonds’ home, Fig Tree Cottage, in Kiln Lane, Hamlen replied: “Not to the best of my knowledge, no.”

Hamlen was then told that he had been forensically linked to a rolling pin.

He responded: “I’d like to know how.”

Asked if he had any explanation for this in a later interview he said: “None whatsoever.”

Asked in the video if he had ever handled the rolling pin at Fig Tree Cottage, he said: “Not to the best of my knowledge.”

He later said: “I know I didn’t murder her because I’d remember something like that, but I can’t account for my whereabouts, specific times and dates, things that seemed trivial at the time.”

Under cross-examination, Detective Constable David Bolton denied that he had been laying a trap for Hamlen in questioning.

Tim Mousley QC, defending, said he had used the words “forensically linked” 18 times during the interviews.

He said: “When you say forensically linked it’s misleading, it’s may be forensically linked.”

Mr Mousley asked whether the reason for this was to get Hamlen to suggest an explanation that could then be disproved.

Det Con Bolton said the forensic science service had been happy to say that Hamlen was linked and wanted to explore his reactions.

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

Proceeding.