Wednesday 9 June 2010

Internet Romance Sparks Jealous Ex's Deadly Knife Attack


An "obsessed" jilted boyfriend - enraged his his ex's new Facebook lover - killed the mum-of-two by plunging a seven inch kitchen knife through her heart after she confessed, a court heard.


Builder Paul Fender, 44, of The Parade, Greatstone, New Romney, Kent told a close friend he would rather kill 28 year-old Karren Martin then see her with another man, the jury were told.


The couple's two year-old daughter Lilly was in the lounge of Miss Martin's rented bungalow in nearby Hardy Road (pictured) when angry Fender arrived just before 10am and stabbed her after she told him: "Yeah. So what. I am seeing someone."


Fender has pleaded not guilty at Croydon Crown Court to murdering Miss Martin - who also has an 11 year-old son Callum - on November 20, last year, claiming he was the victim of provocation.


Prosecutor Mr. Dominic Connolly told the jury the victim began a sexual relationship with an old schoolfriend she met again via Facebook a few weeks before her death - telling friends this was the man of her dreams.


Fender confessed to police he did go around to her house to confront her about the new boyfriend and flew into a rage when she confirmed it was true.


"He said at that point he lost the plot and picked up the knife from the kitchen side and lurched at her," explained Mr. Connolly.


The defendant told detectives: "I just wanted all the pain to go away, I'd had enough, I just thought she'd be injured. I was shaking in anger. It was jealousy after she told me she was seeing this bloke."


Mr. Connolly added: "Paul Fender could not come to terms with the break-up of the relationship. He became obsessed with Karren Martin and that culminated in the events of the morning of November twenty.


"They had a conversation in the kitchen and that led to Paul Fender stabbing Karren Martin in the chest with a kitchen knife and she died almost immediately."


The couple endured a troubled relationship between 2005 and 2007, the jury were told, ending when Miss Martin moved out three months after the birth of their daughter in November.


She had to leave her new boyfriend's house the night before she died so Fender would not spot her car absent from the drive, said Mr. Connolly.


In the early hours happy Miss Martin's final Facebook entry read: "Yippydee doo daa, yippydee day. My oh my, what a wonderful day."


A customer of Fender's, Zoe Gill, even witnessed his anguish that morning. "He told her he was beating himself up inside because his ex was with another man and he was sure that man was at her house the previous night," said the prosecutor.


The same morning Fender was buying building materials with a workmate and told the colleague "he was burning up inside."


After the stabbing Fender called 999 and sat outside the bungalow hugging Lilly in the back of his car as ambulancemen battled in vain to save Karren.


He also later told police: "Let this be a lesson to you. Don't love someone too much."


Officers then spoke to Fender's friend Mark Francis, who gave an insight into the defendant's troubled mind.


"On more than one occasion Paul Fender spoke about killing Karren Martin. He said if he saw her with another man he would kill her. He said he couldn't face the thought of her being with another man," added Mr. Connolly.


The trial is expected to last three weeks......

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