The former wife of a businessman who allegedly poisoned his wealthy lawyer girlfriend with cyanide told a jury how he used the deadly chemical in a killing jar for his butterfly collection.

John Fredrick Allan, 48, denied murdering his partner Cheryl Lesley Lewis while holidaying on the Nile at the New Winter Palace Hotel in Luxor, Egypt, in October 1998.

Ms Lewis, 43, who grew up in Pwllheli, where her family still live, was taken ill two days before the end of their week-long holiday.

His first wife Jacqueline Millard told how he used a cyanide solution to kill the insects quickly.

Ms Millard, who divorced the defendant in 1977, told the jury at Liverpool Crown Court how access to cyanide was "frighteningly common" for an analytical chemist, who would be aware of the chemical's properties and effects.

She told prosecutor David Steer QC: "I associate butterflies with using cyanide".

She added: "You have a jar and you put something in the jar that will kill the butterflies very quickly because you don't want them battering about in the jar, damaging themselves because the butterflies there are very beautiful".

'Gas chamber'

Mr Steer had earlier told the court that Mr Allan, who had previously owned a printing and a golf company, said her killing could be the work of notorious Liverpool drug dealer Curtis Warren, currently in prison in Holland.

Under cross-examination by Andrew Edis QC, defending, Ms Millard said she would always associate the almondy smells of cyanide with butterflies and her first husband's method of killing the insects in a "gas chamber".

American tourist Pamela Black then told the jury how, as she was registering at the hotel, Mr Allan arrived at the reception in a distressed state asking for help for his partner.

Ms Black, who trained in first aid with an airline, and her father went upstairs with the defendant.

They found the door open and the room in a dishevelled state with clothes everywhere and the bathroom in a mess.

She said Miss Lewis was lying in the centre of the bed sweating profusely, slipping in and out of consciousness, groaning and with her face an ashen grey colour.

Miss Black said there was a smell coming from her mouth that filled the room.

She said: "I guess it smelt like I thought death would smell like."

She said she could barely feel a pulse from Ms Lewis, who was foaming at the mouth. But when she asked Allan to carry out mouth to mouth resuscitation on his partner he refused.

'Struggling for life'

She said: "Having not known her or why she was dying I asked Mr Allan to do mouth to mouth. He refused and said he would rather wait for a doctor.

"Time was of the essence in her survival. I got the impression she was struggling for her life."

Miss Black said the defendant's demeanour "was extremely odd" in that he would not assist her in what she was doing, both trying to save Ms Lewis's life and also to get her dressed to preserve her dignity.

She said: "Of course you don't know how people will react if someone's dying especially as Mr Allan informed me it was his wife. For all I know he was in shock but I thought it was extremely odd he would not assist me in what I was doing."

The trial continues