Stephan Garner, 31, has admitted killing his pregnant girlfriend Amber O'Brien, 33, but denies murder, telling Manchester Crown Court he 'snapped' after she told him she had aborted their twins.
Garner accepts he stabbed Ms O'Brien in his flat in Blackley, north Manchester, after an argument on the early hours of April 18. Her body was found on the bathroom floor of the eighth-floor flat, where she had been living with Garner, the father of her nine-week-old unborn twins. She was naked, 'cold to the touch', and covered in a blue tarpaulin lying in 'pools of water', according to the Manchester Evening News.
A pathologist found more than 60 separate stab, incised and puncture wounds, 32 of which were to her face and neck. On Wednesday, October 21, Garner spent a second day in the witness box, questioned by his barrister, Ben Myers KC.
Relationship and Termination
Garner described his relationship with Ms O'Brien, saying: "It just felt like it was sometimes impossible to resolve trivial issues. When arguments did occur she wouldn't move past it, she would continue. I loved her. I cared about her. I was sad about the way things were going. I wanted it to work."
Jurors heard a recording of a call Ms O'Brien made on April 15 requesting a termination of her pregnancy. Asked if he knew of any 'planning any kind of termination', Garner said: "No, none of it was discussed." He told jurors she asked for a lift to the hospital but said she was 'getting her kidney checked', not attending for pregnancy reasons. He said: "I felt a bit betrayed by the fact she lied to me about the reason she was going. I wanted to be present during that scan."
Events Leading to the Killing
On April 17, hours before the killing, Garner attended a pub in Swinton with a friend. He said: "We took some cocaine, we drank some alcohol at the pub." Later, he picked up Ms O'Brien and returned to his flat at Somerton Court with his friend. Garner said they argued, and she accused him of cheating. He claimed she dragged him out of a chair and threatened to get another man to 'sort me out', 'batter me' and 'kill me'. He said he was 'scared', 'worried' and 'intimidated'.
Garner said he told her to go to her mother's house, and she packed bags and left, but he followed in his car to pick her up. He said he called her, telling her he loved her and didn't want her to wake her family. Ms O'Brien could be heard saying 'we're done Stephan'. Once he caught up, Garner said he told her: "I'm in love with you, I don't want to have these arguments." She got into his vehicle 'voluntarily', and the mood was 'awkward'.
Back at the flat, Garner said Ms O'Brien threw a glass of water at him, hitting his thigh. The friend left because he 'didn't feel comfortable with the confrontation'. Garner said Ms O'Brien accused him of flirting with her mum and slapped him. He went to leave, but she threatened to call the police about drink driving. He returned at about 6.20am, and she was 'still the same', 'argumentative, violent and aggressive'.
The Stabbing and Aftermath
Garner said he went to leave but Ms O'Brien blocked his path, and he felt a punch to the back of his head. He pushed her, and she fell into the spare bedroom. He claimed she was 'stood there with a knife', which he said was from renovation work. He recalled her saying: "She said that she aborted both of my children that morning, because she didn't want to have children with a cheater." He said he was 'upset' and 'devastated', and 'angry as well at the same time'.
Garner claimed Ms O'Brien 'sliced' his hand with the knife. He said: "I guess it's a flight or fight response. She lunged at me with the same hand with the blade. I put both hands in to intercept the knife." He told jurors she fell backwards, and he fell on top of her. "The knife has obviously made contact," he said. "I think it was on the neck, I'm not 100 per cent sure." He said they struggled for the knife, and he pushed down, stabbing her. "I think after that the knife breaks."
Garner claimed Ms O'Brien grabbed a second knife, and they struggled again. He got hold of it and stabbed her. Asked how many times, he said: "I don't know, I can't remember." He said he stopped when she stopped moving. Asked why he 'lost control', he cited "constant abuse throughout the relationship", her telling him about the abortion, and her slashing him. He said: "I snapped because of all this stuff that has happened."
Garner said he didn't call the police because he was 'scared' they wouldn't believe him. He moved her body to the bath because there was blood on the floor, and 'destroyed' his phone by throwing it in a lake. He accepted he killed Amber and that it was wrong. Garner, of Somerton Court, Blackley, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder. The trial continues.
