Jacob Wragg was a "zombie" with no quality of life, according to close members of his father's family.

The brothers and sister of alleged murderer Andrew Wragg rallied around him as they took the stand one by one to give their version of events.

Their statements that Jacob's life had become desperate starkly contrasted with evidence from former carers that the little boy remained happy and lively in his final months.

They also told the court it was Mary who had been the dominant force in the Wraggs' marriage.

Wragg's elder brother Stephen, Jacob's godfather, said his brother had been submissive to his wife.

He said: "Mary showed she had quite a temper."

Wragg's younger sister Christina said: "It was obvious she was the main carer and in my view she liked being in control."

Christina said her brother was wonderful with her two-year-old daughter Ella and his own sons.

She said: "He had a natural way with children. He was a normal, loving father who loved his kids more than anything."

Christina, who is a vet, said Jacob's condition was terribly upsetting in the months before he died.

She said: "I saw him walk around like a zombie. There is no other way I could describe it.

"He was completely in his own world, his own bubble."

Wragg's wife, Mary, shook her head during the testimony and stared at her former sister-in-law as she left the dock.

When the youngest brother Christopher said Jacob became nothing but a "shell", Mary Wragg got up and walked out of court. Christopher, a producer at CNN, said: "It is a complete myth to think Jacob was jolly and happy.

"He was a complete and utter shell. He did not speak, he did not do anything. He just had a blank look."

When asked by defence counsel Michael Sayers, QC, if he was exaggerating his testimony to help his brother, Christopher said: "Absolutely not. In my opinion he (Jacob) was very, very bad in his health, physically and mentally."

When asked about Wragg's alleged drinking problem, Christopher said: "I did not see that. Most of the time I would see Mary drunk more than Andy."

Christopher Wragg's wife, Sarah, an American pastor who officiated at Jacob's funeral, said when she saw Jacob last spring, she found his condition very distressing.

Describing his frequent choking at the dinner table, she said: "He would turn an alarming colour, a dark red or purple.

"I had no sense whether he would come out of it or not."

Sarah stayed overnight at the Wragg's home in Henty Close, Worthing, shortly after Jacob's death.

Mr Sayers asked her how Mary had seemed. He said: "Was she angry? Did she blame anyone?"

Sarah said: "No, she did not."

When asked if her former sister-in-law had said anything about Andy, Sarah said: "She said she understood why he did what he did."