An accused Sydney murderer tied a knot in her shirt to hide a bloodstain from police and then lied that it was an Indian custom meant to bring good luck, a court has heard.
Manisha Patel, 32, is on trial in the Supreme Court charged with murdering Purvi Joshi, her ex-lover's new fiancee, in the early hours of July 30, 2013.
Ms Joshi was found dead at her apartment in Kyeemagh, in Sydney's south, with a knife sticking out of her abdomen. She had been strangled and smothered.
Patel has pleaded not guilty to murder and maintains that she killed Ms Joshi in self defence during an argument.
At her Supreme Court trial on Friday, she was quizzed by Crown Prosecutor Huw Baker about her actions after the killing.
The court heard that while being questioned by police shortly after the killing, Patel took a bathroom break and tied a knot in her shirt to obscure a blood stain that might have raised suspicions.
She then told her interrogators it was something people do in India for good luck.
"That was a complete lie," Mr Baker said to Patel.
"Yes."
"You knew there was blood on the shirt so you set about trying to cover that up by telling a lie."
"Yes," she said.
"An elaborate lie."
"Yes."
The court heard Patel initially lied to police about her movements on the morning of Ms Joshi's killing, and lied a second time when given a chance to correct the record.
"I was not thinking straight at that moment," she told the court on Friday.
"I didn't remember the exact dates and times. I was completely stressed out at that time."
The crown, which has finished presenting its evidence in the case, argues Patel was motivated by anger and jealousy when she killed Ms Joshi.
Patel claims she was forced to defend herself when she revealed to Ms Joshi that she had previously fallen pregnant to Niraj Dave - her own ex-lover and Ms Joshi's fiance.
"You intended to kill Purvi and you killed her," Mr Baker said to Patel on Friday.
"No."
"Then you wanted to continue your relationship with Niraj."
"No."
The trial continues.
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