A heavily pregnant woman told a jury how she pleaded with her cage fighter ex-boyfriend not to kill their unborn baby as he stabbed her in the stomach five times. Lauren Oliver said she was convinced her child was dead after Nicholas Leaning, 28, launched a frenzied attack to prevent her proving he was the father.
In video evidence played to Hull Crown Court, Miss Oliver described the attack outside her home in Belton, North Lincolnshire, when she was 34 weeks pregnant. 'I knew it was him and I knew what he was going for. He was trying to kill the baby,' she said. 'It was like he was enjoying it because he was smiling... I pleaded with him not to kill me and my baby.'
The court heard Leaning and Miss Oliver had been in a relationship for around two years before she discovered he had rekindled a relationship with his ex-partner Lindsay Coombs. After they split in November last year, Miss Oliver discovered she was pregnant. She claimed Leaning repeatedly instructed her to abort the baby, but she refused.
Miss Oliver said she demanded a DNA test, but Leaning refused. The stabbing led to an emergency caesarean and the premature birth of her baby, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Simon Waley, prosecuting, said Leaning had tried to persuade Miss Oliver to have an abortion and when she refused, he became angry and indicated to others that the child was not his.
Leaning, who denies attempted murder, is alleged to have worn a mask used while training as a cage fighter during the attack. The trial continues.
