A MAN accused of murdering his childhood sweetheart by pushing her down the stairs had been planning to start a new life with his mistress, a jury has been told.

Alan Evans, aged 35, was carrying on a secret love affair with Amanda Chadwick, a classroom assistant at St Mary’s School in Kidderminster, where his daughters were pupils.

Explicit text messages exchanged between the pair were read out at Worcester Crown Court, showing how they mocked his wife Louise and laughed about her suspicions in the days leading up to her death last year.

In one such message, sent in June last year, Ms Chadwick texted Mrs Evans to express sympathy that the couple were having difficulties, and offering a sympathetic ear.

Then, she texted Evans to say: “Haha, I'm so funny”.

Other messages read out in court revealed Evans had told Ms Chadwick she would make an “amazing” wife – and he wanted them to have a child together.

However, prosecutor Jonas Hankin QC revealed the relationship came to an abrupt end when Evans sent a text to Ms Chadwick declaring he wanted nothing more to do with her.

Outraged, Ms Chadwick and her friend Andrea Bird conspired to send a letter to Mrs Evans revealing their affair.

Shortly after midday on July 9, Ms Chadwick sent a text to Ms Bird, which said: “I’m filled with this overwhelming anger today. She (Mrs Evans) called my husband at work and now he’s left me, and she can still keep hers. You can also tell her that he still calls. I'm excited now.”

At 2.30pm that day, Evans sent a blank text to Amanda from a ‘secret’ SIM card he had bought from Planet Unlock in Kidderminster, which she worked out must be from him.

Hours later, at 12.50am on July 10, 32-year-old Mrs Evans was found dead at the bottom of the stairs at their home in Stoney Lane, Kidderminster.

Evans denies murder. The trial continues.