A mum was stabbed nearly 50 times during a frenzied attack by her abusive husband a day after he was released from custody for assaulting her, an inquest heard.

Neil Harman, 57, killed his wife Sharon Elaine Harman, 49, at their home during a "sustained attack" before taking his own life, the coroner was told.

The victim, known to family and friends as Elaine, had reported Neil, a commercial fisherman, for an assault two days earlier and he was released on bail the following day with the condition to stay away from her.

But the inquest heard he let himself into the family home and inflicted 47 knife wounds on Elaine in the kitchen as she desperately tried to defend herself.

Neighbours heard screaming in the garden: "He's killed her, they are both dead."

At the first day of Elaine's inquest taking place in Truro on Thursday, Home Office pathologist Deborah Cook, who carried out a post mortem, outlined the enormous scale of injuries he inflicted.

They included 47 injuries inflicted by a knife, including 20 to the neck, 18 to the chest with six of these in the back, two to the left arm, four to the right hand and three to the head.

Neighbours told the inquest Mr Harman was 'controlling' and Elaine had made plans to leave him after he was arrested for an assault on 4 August 2021.

But after one night in custody, he was released but later he breached his bail conditions by turning up at the home in Polperro, Cornwall.

Describing the events that unfolded, one neighbour Gemma Taylor said: "I could hear screaming and thought something had happened.

"(Someone) said 'he's killing her'. They then said to me words to the effect of 'he's killed her - they are both dead'."

Ms Taylor then went into the home and found Elaine and her husband on the floor in the kitchen.

She said as she was checking Elaine for signs of life, police showed up and she left the scene.

Another neighbour Laura Howard said that shortly before the killing, Elaine had told her she was trying to figure out how she could get a divorce.

She said: "She felt financially dependent on Neil and said he was really controlling.

"At times he had outbursts and banged his head on the kitchen counter.

"She said he was controlling and watches everything she does. She felt controlled in every aspect and did not know how to get out."

Recalling the tragedy, she added: "I heard my name being screamed. I realised it was coming from the back garden."

Ms Howard said she couldn't get into the property but looked through the letterbox and could see both bodies inside.

The inquest also heard personal statements from members of Elaine's family about the impact the tragedy has had on them.

Elaine's sister said: "Ever since this happened our lives have been turned upside down. Unfortunately, my brother and I lost mum in June when she was only 74. I believe the loss of her daughter was just too much."

She described Elaine as someone who loved socialising, watching live music and enjoyed the sea and fresh air of living and growing up in Cornwall.

"The pain we are all going through every day is excruciating. How can you ever get over something so traumatic."

She said she felt "guilty every single day" as Elaine had confided in her about the problems in her marriage.

She added: "I try my hardest to stay strong but some days that isn't too easy."

Pathologist Dr Deborah Cook said it was clear her injuries had been inflicted by a third party and gave the cause of death as stab wounds to the neck and chest.

She said: "Even if this incident had taken place outside the doors of a hospital Elaine could not have been saved.

"This was a sustained assault."

An earlier inquest ruled Neil Harman had died as a result of suicide having stabbed himself 33 times during the same incident.

The inquest into Mrs Harman's death continues.