HAYLEY MURDER TRAIL: ACCUSED murderer Hugo Quintas told a court his relationship with his girlfriend had been volatile and he believed she was cheating on him.

Quintas, 24, of Seymour Court, Trowbridge, denies murdering pregnant Hayley Richards on June 11. He has admitted manslaughter on the grounds of provocation. Giving evidence at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, he told the court through an interpreter he had loved Miss Richards but that they would argue regularly.

He said: "She used to argue sometimes for no apparent reason. She would scream at me. She always wanted to know where I was, what I was up to. She wanted to take control of my life. "Sometimes we used to argue because she was jealous. She didn't like me to speak to other girls."

Quintas said he would try to calm the situation down but that his girlfriend's shouting would make him nervous. At one stage he told the court he thought of ending the relationship but said: "I didn't want to go back but because of her face and my heart I felt pity."

He told the court he had become concerned she smoked and drank too much and they would have heated arguments about it.

He said he suspected her of seeing other men after overhearing a man's voice when he telephoned her.

He said she would spend a lot of time with a work colleague and he suspected them of having an affair but admitted he had no proof.

When Miss Richards found out she was pregnant, in May, he said he had been happy at first but after speaking to his friend Joaquim Da Cunha, who is also at court accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice, he began to doubt he was the baby's father.

Quintas said: "I spoke to my friend and he advised me I should have a DNA test to find out if the baby was mine. He said all English women only want sex." He said Miss Richards was furious with him for suggesting he was not the father.

The court heard Quintas met Miss Richards in September 2004 in Chicago Rock and the pair had slept together that night, but the relationship soon became volatile. He said: "I thought at first we had a respectful relationship but then after the first week, no."

Defender, Paul Garlick, QC, asked Quintas if he thought it would become a permanent relationship and he replied: "Yes, I expected so."

The court heard the couple had spent four days on holiday in Portugal and Spain and Quintas said both he and Miss Richards had been "very happy." They had discussed having children as Miss Richards had previously been pregnant but had suffered a miscarriage.

  • The trial continues