A mother-of-one who denies murdering her housemate found her bloodied body in the flat they shared but did not tell the police to save her brother from getting in trouble, a court heard.

Edyta Zawadzka, 28, gave evidence at Isleworth Crown Court where she appears charged with the murder of 43-year-old Julia Anders between November 16 and 30 last year at the flat they shared in Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond.

The prosecution claims she hammered Ms Anders to death in the first floor flat because she was jealous Ms Anders was earning more money than her in their work as prostitutes, but Miss Zawadzka said she was never paid for sex and only took bookings for Ms Anders.

She said the last time she saw Ms Anders was November 15 when Ms Anders asked her to borrow her keys so she could get some cut, the court heard.

She told the court she did not have access to the flat from then until her arrest on November 30.

The court heard her claim that she returned to the flat after getting a bus to Richmond and found the door ajar. She went inside and saw Ms Anders' body covered in blood, the court heard.

She said: "I saw the pillow covered in blood, the headrest was covered in blood. I stood there frozen for a few minutes, I was shocked.

"The first thing that came into my mind was obviously that my brother went there and he did something stupid."

When asked by her representative Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC why she did not tell the police she said: "He is my younger brother and I just couldn't let anything happen to him."

Prosecuting Sarah Plaschkes said: "Why should that stop you giving assistance who was clearly seriously ill in her own bedroom? Inside you were content to just, what, walk away from her?"

Miss Zawadzka said: "Even though she was a close friend of mine I didn't think of helping her."

Miss Zawadzka told the court she then went upstairs to another flat where she vomited and sat on the sofa.

In her police interview she made no comment to every question and asked the police if Ms Anders was dead, the court heard.

The jury heard a hammer was found in the upper floor flat with Ms Anders' blood on it and Miss Zawadzka's DNA.

She told the court she had previously used the hammer to put up pictures in the first floor flat where Ms Anders' body was found.

The pair first met in February 2010 when Miss Zawadzka was employed as a live-in nanny to look after Ms Anders' three children and they the became close, the court heard.

Miss Zawadzka said: "We quickly started realising that we has a lot in common - same music, same food, cooking in the same way."

She told the court the pair regarded each other as "being like a sister" to one another and said Ms Anders supported her when the relationship with her baby's father broke down.

The trial continues.