Woman stabbed partner 'so hard'

Natalie Ford faces a charge of murdering her partner, Gary Marshall. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Natalie Ford's partner punched her in the face and slammed her head against a doorframe moments before she plunged a kitchen knife into his chest, a court has heard.

Ford has pleaded not guilty in the High Court at Auckland to murdering 45-year-old Gary Marshall. Her lawyers have told the jury to think about whether Ford acted in self-defence.

Justice Kit Toogood told the jury that they needed to consider "whether what she did was done by way of defending herself or whether she was acting out of anger and being the aggressor".

Crown prosecutor Paula Carter told the court that Ford and Mr Marshall had been in a "volatile" relationship for three to four months when they started drinking at a friend's Orewa home in January, last year.

"Both had issues with alcohol. It was a relationship marked by physical and verbal abuse with Ms Ford giving as good as she got," Ms Carter said.

She said a witness, Simon Turner, was walking past the house where Mr Marshall and Ford had been drinking on the day of the alleged murder.

Ms Carter said he would describe hearing angry voices and seeing Ford collecting what appeared to be a bag of clothes off the lawn.

"He could hear female and male voices yelling from the address. He could hear Mr Marshall yelling: 'Get out' and 'piss off'." She said he also saw a make-up bag land on the lawn before Ford started yelling obscenities.

"And in Mr Turner's words, 'That's when all the s*** started'."

Ms Carter said Ford slapped Mr Marshall before he punched her in the face, grabbed her hair and slammed the back of her head into a doorframe.

She said Ford then used both her hands to scratch Mr Marshall's face and drew blood before the pair went inside and continued yelling.

Ms Carter said Ford went into the kitchen and got a knife.

"She stabbed Mr Marshall so hard that the knife went into his chest to the full length, right up to the handle."

Marshall stumbled into the lounge room where he collapsed and died. Ford told ambulance call centre staff that Mr Marshall had stabbed himself.

A jury of six men and six women will hear the case and will hear evidence from 39 witnesses.