​The nurse accused of killing two elderly people in her care home in Somerset was overheard asking one of the frail victims: “Shall we end it all now?”, a court has been told.

Rachel Baker, 44, is charged with killing Francis Hay, 85, by administering a lethal dose of prescription drugs at Parkfields Care Home in the village of Butleigh, near Glastonbury, which she ran with her husband, Leigh Baker. She is also charged with killing Lucy Cox, 97, two months later, by administering a lethal dose of the painkiller Tramadol.

Prosecutor David Fisher told the court how care assistant Kathy Slade “listened in disbelief” when she overheard Baker asking Mrs Hay “shall we end it all now?” on November 20, 2006.

Mrs Hay, the jury heard, replied: “Oh no darling, I’m OK darling.” But minutes later, she was seen with her head slumped forward, speaking incoherently and with ‘‘pin-point eyes”, the court heard.

Two days later, she died. Nearly three years ago after she was originally arrested, sparking one of the region’s biggest ever police investigations, Baker’s trial continued yesterday at Bristol Crown Court.

Baker, from Glastonbury, who appeared in court dressed in a grey, knee-length cardigan, denies the two counts of murder.

Mr Fisher added: “Rachel Baker was, by her own admission, regularly taking prescribed drugs which must have had a substantial effect on her character and conduct.

“She, for a variety of bizarre and perverted reasons, may have had a desire to control the terminal destiny of some of her residents.”

The jury previously heard that she admitted eight counts of possessing Class A and C drugs, and one count of perverting the course of justice.

The court previously heard that Baker was stealing prescription drugs – including diamorphine, similar to heroin – from elderly residents to feed her own addiction. There were at least eight residents from whom Baker accepts she diverted drugs for her own use, including Mrs Hay and Mrs Cox.

Mr Fisher, prosecuting, said: “Kathy Slade noticed that the door to room 14 was ajar, which in itself was unusual.

“She heard a voice coming from the room so stopped three feet from the door and heard Rachel Baker say something very similar to this: ‘Shall we end it all now?’.

There was a response from Francis Hay along the lines ‘Oh no darling, I’m OK darling’ and then Rachel Baker said ‘shall we do it now?’.

‘‘In disbelief Kathy Slade ran from the room and tried to block it from her mind.”

Minutes later the care assistant returned to the room to find the frail pensioner’s head lolling in her seat and speaking incoherently.

He added: “This is a condition associated with the administration of a rapid acting opiate drug such as a drug administered by injection.”

The cause of death was given as acute ischemic bowel disease, which was later ruled out because the symptoms did not match. A post-mortem could not be carried out because Mrs Hay’s body was cremated.

Baker is also said to have murdered Lucy Cox on January 1, 2007 after administering a massive dose of the painkiller Tramadol – a drug she was never prescribed.

A post-mortem was carried out after nurses at the home became concerned and toxicology tests found large traces of the drug.

Baker is said to have had a readily available source of the drug as her husband Leigh had been prescribed it following a knee replacement operation. In the weeks leading up to Lucy Cox’s death, Baker is said to have been looting her prescription of diamorphine to feed her addiction. A post-mortem found unusually low levels of the drug in her system.

Mr Fisher told the court: “The stark fact is Lucy Cox had never been prescribed Tramadol. It’s almost as simple as that. Rachel Baker may have been so affected by prescription drugs that she decided for no reason, or no understandable reason, to murder Francis Hay and Lucy Cox.”

Baker previously admittedpleaded guilty diverting drugs away from eight patients at the home and one count of perverting the course of justice.

The trial, which is expected to last until March, continues.