Elliot would write 'R18' notes in lectures, court told

Murder accused Clayton Weatherston said Sophie Elliott would write notes to him while she was sitting in his lectures. Photo / The Press, Pool

Sophie Elliott would write messages of an "R18 nature" to Clayton Weatherston as she sat in lectures he was delivering at Otago University, the High Court has heard.

"It certainly livened up the material we were covering," Weatherston said in his evidence today.

The former Otago University economics lecturer, 33, is giving evidence in the High Court at Christchurch, where he is on trial for the murder of Miss Elliott, his ex girlfriend and student, on January 9 last year.

Weatherston stabbed and cut Miss Elliott 216 times and admits he is guilty of manslaughter. However he says he was provoked by Miss Elliott, and lost control.

The pair had a relationship in 2007, when Weatherston was a lecturer and Miss Elliott an economics student.

Weatherston said Miss Elliott would write the messages on notes handed out to the students so he could see them.

"It was a bit off-putting, but in some ways it was pretty sexy," Weatherston said.

"It was intruding a little bit on that environment - bringing that into the classroom might not have been the best."

Weatherston also told the court about how Miss Elliott would compare him to her past boyfriends, and in particular the size of the their penises.

She seemed to have an obsession about the size of this organ, he said.

"It was almost like she didn't want me to be sexually confident, because she was in fear of me going elsewhere."

Miss Elliott was extremely concerned that he was not as "sexually enthusiastic" as she was, and about how long the sex between them was, Weatherston said.

He said went to a doctor in October, 2007, with his concerns about his lethargy and lack of libido, and spoke about his "high maintenance" girlfriend.

On December 27, 2007, Miss Elliott came to visit him and gave him gifts that included a photo album with photographs she had taken at graduation functions.

Weatherston said he did not have a gift prepared to give her, so gave her a print of the Titanic, which she was not impressed with.

"I felt extremely bad because she had put in so much effort.....and she was so proud of what she had done."

He said he wanted to break up with her that day, and had made a list of things he wanted to tell her - that she was emotionally and physically abusive, and that he felt controlled and manipulated by her.

Other witnesses have evidence that Miss Elliott said she was assaulted on this day by Weatherston.