Britain's Got Talent performer 'stabbed more than 70 times by boyfriend'

Simonne Kerr, 31, "did not stand a chance" when Desmond Sylva came at her with an 8in (20cm) kitchen knife, the Old Bailey heard.

Sylva, who served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in Iraq and Kosovo, had been admitted to hospital with suicidal thoughts and threatened to kill himself or someone else the night before, jurors at the Old Bailey were told.

The 41-year-old Jamaica-born defendant has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, claiming his depression impaired his mental function.

However, the prosecution allege that he attacked the Guy's and St Thomas' nurse simply because he "lost his temper".

Opening his trial, prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC said Ms Kerr was last seen leaving the hospital where she worked on August 15 last year, heading to Sylva's flat in Clapham, south London.

At lunchtime that day, Sylva telephoned his brother to say he had just murdered his girlfriend before alerting emergency services, the jury was told.

In a 999 call played in court, Sylva said: "Can I have police please? I've just committed a murder.

"I'm ex-Army and I've got lots of mental health issues."

Asked why he had done it, he said: "She's just get on my nerves, man, trying to fight me and take my money so I had to defend myself (sic)."

Police found Ms Kerr's body wrapped in a blood-soaked duvet, suggesting she had been attacked while lying in bed, jurors heard.

Mr Glasgow said: "Her throat had been slashed and she had been repeatedly stabbed to the right side of her face and her neck.