Tutor tells murder trial of kicking ex-girlfriend

Clayton Weatherston told the court he didn't think he would be an easy person to have a relationship with when he was stressed. Photo / The Press / Pool

A former university economics tutor accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend has told a court how he kicked another previous girlfriend, and she suffered a bleeding nose in the same incident.

Clayton Weatherston, 33, is giving evidence in the High Court at Christchurch where he is on trial for the murder of Sophie Elliott, 22, on January 9 last year.

Weatherston stabbed and cut Miss Elliott 216 times in her bedroom in her Dunedin family home, and admits he is guilty of manslaughter. However he says he was provoked by Miss Elliott, and lost control.

The pair had previously been in a tumultuous relationship, while Weatherston had lectured Miss Elliott in economics at Otago University. Weatherston's defence team say his unique psychological make-up meant he was ill-equipped to handle this relationship.

Weatherston told the court today he was living with another woman, whose name is suppressed, in Dunedin in 2006. This woman has given evidence to the court that she felt she was "walking on eggshells" around Weatherston.

"I don't think I would be an easy person to have a relationship when I was stressed," Weatherston said.

"I was a bit precious about certain things."

The woman also gave evidence of Weatherston kicking her and how she became frightened of him.

"Largely most of what she said I would agree with," Weatherston said.

The incident where he kicked her arose amid a discussion around finances, and whether the woman should be contributing more to their household outgoings. The woman did not feel she should be contributing more, Weatherston said.

He said he could not recall the exact details, but was sitting with the woman at his feet when he kicked her once in the right shoulder, and as he was jumping off the couch with the intent of jumping over her, he clipped the woman's head, pushing it forward into her knee.

The woman was "understandably frightened". She went to the bathroom and her "level of fear" greatly increased when she saw her nose was bleeding, he said.

Weatherston said he felt terrible about the incident.

He said he first met Miss Elliott in 2006 when she spoke to a panel at Otago University that he was on. He said he formed a brief impression of her from that meeting, but did not have a relationship with her that year.

Weatherston also told the court today about visits he made to doctors in 1998 about anxiety, putting too much pressure on himself and "being fragile in the face of a challenge".

He was prescribed a drug for his anxiety which he took daily for a period of time.