A MULTI-millionaire accused of murdering his partner did not seem "unduly upset" after finding her body, a paramedic has told a court.

John Broadhurst, who denies murdering 26-year-old Natalie Connolly after allegedly engaging in "rough sex" with her, appeared hungover and was only wearing boxer shorts when paramedics responded to a 999 call, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Broadhurst - a property developer said to have a fortune of around £15 million - is alleged to have killed Natalie around three months after separating from a former partner, who was pregnant with their second child.

On the third day of Broadhurst's trial, paramedic Stephen Hill said rigor mortis had set in when he examined Ms Connolly's body at the home they shared in Kinver, on December 18, 2016.

Prosecutors allege Broadhurst, a 40-year-old father-of-three from Wolverley, murdered Ms Connolly in the early hours of the same day, possibly after discovering she had been in contact with other men.

Describing his arrival at Broadhurst's home at 9.28am on December 18, Mr Hill told the jury panel: "He was standing in the doorway and I was quite openly invited into the hall.

"He was upset and looked tired. He had clearly not long got up."

After examining Ms Connolly's body in the hallway of the house in Kenrose Mill, Kinver, Mr Hill told the court, he "very soon" declared her dead.

Asked by prosecutor David Mason QC what had happened after he pronounced life extinct, Mr Hill said: "He [Broadhurst] came into the room once to ask me what had happened.

"I asked him to return back into the living room, which he did straight away. He then proceeded to tell me that she liked 'rough sex'."

Mr Hill added that Broadhurst, who did not know Ms Connolly's date of birth, said he had last seen her at about 2am.

"He did seem quite vague," Mr Hill told the court. "He didn't seem unduly upset. He seemed concerned."

In a statement read to the court, Broadhurst's former partner, Charlotte Dummer, said she had been in a relationship with him for around seven years.

In her statement, Ms Dummer said she split with Broadhurst around three months before Ms Connolly's death.

Ms Dummer said Broadhurst - who was never violent during their relationship - told her he had met Ms Connolly in a pub in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

Describing a phone-call from Broadhurst to her on the morning of December 18, Ms Dummer stated: "The first thing John said to me was 'Natalie's dead'.

"I was very bewildered by this phone call. He sounded like he was in shock.

The trial continues.