A COUPLE accused of murdering an adoptive child were divorced and remarried before taking the three-year-old on, a jury heard.

Ian and Angela Gay met at university but on their third date she revealed she was unable to have children.

They wed in 1990, separated after problems, but remarried in 2001 when they decided to adopt after she landed a highly-paid job as an insurance actuary.

"We felt it would complete our family," she told police after Christian Blewitt died during a trial adoption period at their former home in Greyfriars Drive, Bromsgrove.

She said they had seen the joy that children brought to other members of her family and added: "I have always dreamed of a child calling me mummy."

The Gays, now living in Lutley Lane, Halesowen, deny murder and alternative charges of manslaughter and child cruelty.

Christian was taken to hospital on December 8, 2002, but died four days later from a brain injury. Doctors discovered he had excessive salt in his blood.

Mrs Gay's interviews with detectives were read to the Worcester Crown Court jury on day 16 of the trial.

She said she went back to work ten days after Christian, his brother and sister were placed with them by Sandwell social services.

Christian could be disruptive, boisterous and naughty, she said, but was never physically chastised.

Following a visit by social workers to their home, he became distant and unresponsive.

She was told he had delayed learning ability but felt concerned that social services had not given them his full medical background.

The Gays heard bumps in the night and assumed Christian had fallen out of bed, finding him on the floor a number of times.

The day before he collapsed in his bedroom, he awoke in a bad mood and was "a little anti-me", the 38-year-old insisted. He had squirmed on her lap, hit her mouth by jerking his head and lashed out with his foot.

It upset her and she left the room to hide her emotion.

"Everything in my heart said give him a cuddle and everything would be alright," she said. But Christian rejected her attempts.

She said former engineer Ian, 37, had taken to being a house-husband to look after the children "like a duck to water. He loved it. He was brilliant with them."

Next day, Christian was still irritable, picked at his food and kept on demanding drinks. He was given five.

He was taken to bed for an hour before lunch but afterwards threw the food on the floor and Ian carried him back to his bedroom. Five minutes later, they checked on him and the child had collapsed unconscious.

Mrs Gay said there was no indication that Christin had hurt himself or was in pain. "We would never put a hand on those children, never," she added. The trial continues.