The best friend of Michaela Hall has described how just before her death she heard screams like "something out of a horror movie" over the phone as the man accused of her murder allegedly attacked her.

The 49-year-old mother of two was stabbed to death through the eye on May 31 last year by her violent lover just weeks after he was released from jail, a jury at Truro Crown Court was told.

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.

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Giving evidence, Ms Hall’s friend Clair Basnett described how she'd seen Kendall assaulting Michaela on two occasions once pulling her hair and the second time she could see Lee attacking Michaela when she looked through a window at her home.

She said at one point Michaela had asked her to have Lee living with her because a court order meant he couldn't stay at Michaela's house. She said he was at her address for three days and he was often drunk.

She said Michaela would come over despite not being allowed to see him and at one point they had a fight because Michaela refused to buy him any more alcohol.

"There was an altercation upstairs and Michaela had come downstairs followed by Lee. He started trying to pull her hair. I have three dogs that aren't favourable to him so I stepped in and separated Michaela and Lee. I told Lee to go upstairs. I made sure Michaela was OK. She told me she had to go because she shouldn't be there in first place and she left."

She said Lee never explained why he he acted that way but told her "It was hard work being an addict". The following day she said she couldn't take any more and Lee left.

Towards end of October 2020 she said she moved to Gran Canaria to live but kept in touch with Michaela via social media and calls. These were all handed to the police following Michaela's death

After another assault in March 2021 Lee Kendall had gone to prison. She said she spoke to Michaela at great lengths and one occasion she said she was wracked with guilt for making a statement that had got Kendall sent to prison.

She said it also led into how at one point she was angry with herself because she understood she had lost so much because of her relationship with Lee.

She said contact slowed towards end of May when Kendall came out of prison and returned to live with Michaela. 

Ms Basnett said she was frustrated more than angry because she thought Michaela had turned a corner and been given the stepping stones to get out of that relationship, but had failed to do so.

She said on May 31, 2021 at 10pm she had a phone call from Michaela which she ignored but then there was then a second call at 10.10pm.

"I answered the call and Michaela was whispering," she said. "I asked her why she was whispering. The reason I asked was because she hadn't been honest with me at that point about Lee being back in the house, which is the reason why I was cross with her.

"When I asked why she was whispering she replied 'Lee is on one. I really don't know what to do.' At which point I asked her if she was able to get out of the house. She said Lee had locked all the doors and had the keys."

Michaela then stated she needed to send her friend photographs of what he had done to her neck in the past few days "in case anything happened to her."

"She asked me to call the police but she said to me 'Don't call them straight away because I could be in grave danger if you do so'. I then heard Lee enter the room. She started telling him to stay away from her. I could hear his voice. Michaela was screaming by this time telling Lee to get off her and keep back.

"The noise was horrific, you could hear him hitting her. I could hear her screaming, him shouting. Really really hard to explain noises but literally sounded like something off a horror film."

She said she decided to call the emergency services right away but dialled 999 despite being in Spain and got through to Spanish police.

She eventually got through to Crimestoppers and asked them to place the 999 call for her. She tried to phone Michaela the following morning but got no reply so she left a message on Facebook Messenger asking if she was OK but she never heard back.

Under cross examination Ms Basnett admitted she'd taken Lee back to Michaela's house on one occasion in breach of an order and then informed the police so they could arrest him. She said it was the only thing she could think of to do to help Michaela. 

The jury also watched a video of the police interview with Michaela's father describing how he and his wife became so concerned about not hearing from Michaela he and her mother went to the house and called the police when they couldn't get in. Her father went to the landlord's house and got the keys.

He went upstairs and found Michaela lying on the bed, there was blood on the pillow and the body was cold. After that emergency services attended.

The trial continues.