A mother-of-four accused of murdering a man by stabbing him in the chest with a kitchen knife made genuine attempts to save his life, a jury was told.

A 999 call in which Tina Bell is heard trying to help Roman Copija by feeling for his pulse and checking his airways was played at the trial at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

Bell, 45, told the jury she pulled the knife out of Mr Copija before the ambulance crew arrived because it would have got in the way when paramedics tried to resuscitate him.

Bell and Jacek Adamczewski, 43, who lived together in Wetton Court, Laisterdyke, Bradford, deny murdering Mr Copija on July 14 on his driveway in Thornbury Avenue, Bradford.

Bell and Adamczewski have each told the jury they did not have a knife with them that night and did not stab Mr Copija, 48, a building worker.

Bell said, in July, she was an alcoholic, downing up to three litres of cider a day and weighed less than six stone. She was now shocked by how she had looked.

She told the court she had lived with Adamczewski for a couple of months and believed she was pregnant with their child.

She said they were visiting her friend Joseph that night at the converted garage where he lived in Thornbury Avenue.

Mr Copija came out and she took hold of Adamczewski’s arm to prevent any trouble.

Bell said Adamczewski did not like Mr Copija, who she had heard was “a bad person”.

Mr Copija and Adamczewski began “pulling and pushing each other”, she said.

Adamczewski walked off. She did not see anyone use a knife.

She set off to go but heard a call for help and returned to see Mr Copija on the ground with a knife sticking in his chest.

Howard Godfrey QC, Adamczewski’s barrister, accused her of telling “a stream of untruths”, alleging she took the knife with her that night.

The trial continues.