Lee Kendall on trial charged with murder of Michaela Hall, Mount Hawke

Former Virgin Airways senior air stewardess Michaela Hall had met Lee Kendall when she worked for a charity which helps prisoners when they are freed from custody.

But Truro Crown Court heard she broke professional boundaries as his support worker and began an intimate sexual relationship, before he moved into her home in Mount Hawke.

Kendall is now on trial charged with her murder, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor Miss Jo Martin QC told the court that Michaela was soon subjected to numerous violent assaults by Kendall.

But the jury heard that she often refused to support any prosecutions against Kendall, aged 42 at the time of the alleged offence, who would always deny attacking her when arrested and interviewed by police.

Miss Martin told the jury: "He killed her by stabbing her through the eye with a knife.

"There is no doubt that he did kill Michaela Hall. He now accepted that he did, that was not always the case."

The prosecutor said it was for the jury to decide whether mum of two Michaela died as a result of a tragic accident or if Kendall "deliberately and intentionally stabbed her through the eye".

She alleged that when police arrested him in June 2021 he was interviewed and lied about what had happened on that fatal night on May 31.

Miss Martin said Kendall later claimed there had been a drunken struggle and that Michaela had been the attacker.

He said that he had tried to take the knife off her and her death was the result of an accident.

Miss Martin said Michaela gave up her job as an air stewardess and moved to Cornwall where her family lived.

Michaela Hall died in May 2021

She had worked for two charities who helped prisoners when they were released from jail.

But she said: "Sadly Michaela's personality type was unsuited for the role. She got too involved and got too close.

"She genuinely wanted to help but she could not recognise the importance of professional boundaries."

She met Kendall, who had a drug problem, when he was freed from jail in March 2019 and she was assigned his support worker.

But within a month she lost her job because it was discovered she had started an intimate sexual relationship with Kendall who moved into her home.

Miss Martin said they had a 'complex relationship' and Michaela tried to help and save him.

But she said: "It was not long before the violence started."

Michael suffered black eyes and various attacks and 999 calls were made to police as the violence escalated.

Kendall was remanded in custody and did admit some attacks in February and March 2021.

On May 14, 2021 he was given a three-year community order by a judge and was released from custody and returned to live with Michaela.

But just 17 days later he allegedly stabbed her to death, as the knife penetrated up to 9cm into her brain through her right eye, the jury was told.

A post mortem also revealed she had other facial and neck wounds which were consistent with manual strangulation – and Kendall's DNA was found on her neck.

The court heard Michaela had been talking to a friend in Gran Canaria, who could hear her friend scream "like one out of a movie" as she shouted "don't come near me Lee, stop Lee, get off me" before hearing a dull thud.

The friend eventually managed to alert the UK authorities and police went to the house three times over the next 24 hours, but did not see any sign of a disturbance and did not force an entry.

It was only when her parents raised their concerns and got a spare key that her father Peter discovered her body in a bedroom.

Kendall denies murder and his trial continues.