A JURY has heard a series of loving messages David Martin sent to his former girlfriend in the weeks before it is claimed he tried to kill her.
Kate Taylor was stabbed in the chest during a meeting with her ex-partner in his Renault Megane at the car park of EDF Energy in Sunderland, where they both worked, last May.
Prosecutors claim 30-year-old Martin plunged the blade into her in a bid to murder her after she refused to get back with him.
Martin, of Telford Road, Thorney Close, Sunderland, denies attempted murder and wounding with intent. He claims Miss Taylor accidentally became impaled.
Jurors have heard extracts from a series of email exchanges between the former couple.
During the messages, Martin referred to his ex as “Queen Kate”, “Sexy Kate” and he called her an “English Rose” while wishing her a happy St George’s Day.
In an email he sent on April 20, just three weeks before the stabbing, Martin said: “I want to take you on a date on Sunday, wine and dine you.
“I will even wear my new shirt which, for your information, is amazing.”
In response to the offer, Miss Taylor had simply said: “Possibly”.
In an email a few days later, Martin said: “I am so hopelessly in love with you, Kate. I can’t not think about you.
“I am the key and you are definitely the lock.
“I just love, I mean really love you, everything about you, everything, everything.”
Jurors heard a series of playful messages between the former couple, with Miss Taylor teasing her ex by calling him a “geek”, and they joked about someone being called a “dingbat”.
Glen Gatland, defending, asked Miss Taylor why she engaged in the exchanges when she wanted the relationship to be over.
Miss Taylor replied: “It was just easier to keep him as a friend than an enemy.”
When asked about her recollection of the moment she was stabbed, Miss Taylor told jurors: “I remember exactly what happened.
“I had said there was no chance of us getting back together, and I needed to get back into work.
“I was about to leave the car as this happened.”
Proceeding.