Court told tutor wished ex-girlfriend dead

Former Otago University economics tutor Clayton Weatherston told Sophie Elliott he wished she was dead, a court has heard.

Miss Elliott, complained of being assaulted by Weatherston and constant put-downs and abuse by him prior to her death in January last year, the High Court at Christchurch was told today.

Miss Elliott died after suffering 216 stab and cutting wounds in the bedroom of her Dunedin family home.

Weatherston, 33, is on trial for Miss Elliott's murder. He admits her manslaughter, saying Miss Elliott provoked him by first attacking him with a pair of scissors.

Miss Elliott was taught by Weatherston at Otago University, and was in a relationship with him in 2007 that was "on again, off again", according to senior university lecturer Robert Alexander.

Dr Alexander said Miss Elliott spoke to him about Weatherston and complained of Weatherston making comments such as calling her stupid.

"There was a lot of abuse, a lot of put-downs in the relationship".

Miss Elliott told him of an incident at Weatherston's home where he had thrown her on his bed, jumped on top of her, held his arm over her throat and put his hand over her face when she screamed.

When he let her go and she left, Weatherston told her he wished she was dead and he hoped a plane she was to travel on would crash, Dr Alexander said.

On another occasion recounted by Miss Elliott, she said she had gone to see Weatherston at the university to give him a cheque for damage to a door at his home she had caused when she slammed it.

They got into an argument about the past assault at Weatherston's home, and Miss Elliott put her arm across Weatherston's throat and said something along the lines: "So do you not think this is assault?"

After this argument, Miss Elliott said Weatherston had shoved her, said he had a new girlfriend that was up a step up from her, and he wished her dead.

The court has heard Weatherston blamed Miss Elliott for his failure to get a lecturer's job at the university.

But Dr Alexander said he told Weatherston he had little chance of being appointed to the role because of his conflict with others in the university economics department, and accusing others of plagiarism.

Dr Alexander agreed with Weatherston's lawyer Greg King that his knowledge of what occurred between Weatherston and Miss Elliott was based purely on what Miss Elliott had told him.

He agreed some things he heard made him sick.