AN ELDERLY mother who almost died when poisoned with a lethal dose of insulin spoke fondly of her daughter to medics, a court heard.

Julia Knight admits injecting her mum Irene Robson with a potentially fatal dose of insulin while she was recovering from a fall at Banbury’s Horton General Hospital.

However, the 56-year-old denies that she intended to murder the 81-year-old or cause her grievous bodily harm.

Defending, Simon Mayo QC told a jury of seven men and five woman that medics at the hospital thought Knight and Ms Robson had a very close relationship. He added: “When Irene spoke about her daughter it was clear they enjoyed a close and loving relationship.

“It was something that she was particularly speaking about, when speaking about the daughter she did so in very fond terms.”

Giving evidence at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, occupational therapist Hannah Cantelo agreed Ms Robson had spoken very highly of her daughter. She said: “She spoke about her very fondly.”

The court heard Ms Robson was rushed to the Banbury hospital in October last year after suffering a fall at the home she shared with long-term partner Trevor Charles.

John Price, prosecuting, said that Knight had forged an insulin prescription at the West Bar GP Practice where she worked using a real patient’s record and her colleague’s computer.

He told the jury that she then went to her mum’s bedside in the Laburnum Ward and used a self-administering pen to inject Ms Robson with the drug on Tuesday, October 7. Mr Charles noticed his partner of more than 30 years was very cold to the touch, but flushed when he arrived to visit her and raised the alarm.

He told the court: “ She didn’t really respond to me. I was holding her hand and stroking her arm and her hand and arm were very, very cold, but her face was very flushed.”

Medics rushed to her bedside and gave Ms Robson a high dose of glucose to raise her blood sugar, which was described as the lowest one doctor had ever seen.

Mr Price said that Knight, of Sycamore Drive, Banbury, had “carefully planned” the “cold-blooded” murder attempt.

He stressed that the attempted murder was not motivated by financial gain and was not a mercy killing as Ms Robson had never mentioned a wish to end her life.

The trial continues.