A YOUNG mother who was allegedly murdered tried to fend off her attacker as she was repeatedly stabbed through the neck, a court has heard.

Farnworth mum-of-three Kelly Davies had 22 stabs and cuts to her neck, including one which severed her jugular vein and was inflicted with such force that it went on to cut part of her spine, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Some of her injuries were as deep as 10cm, pathologist Dr Naomi Carter told the court, and would have led to “catastrophic blood loss” and death within minutes.

Dr Carter added that she could not rule out the possibility that 31-year-old Ms Davies had been attacked with more than one sharp weapon, but added that cuts and grazes found on her left hand indicated she had tried to stop herself being stabbed. Dr Carter was called to Ms Davies ground floor flat in Queen Street, Farnworth, on Monday June 4 last year after her body was discovered.

She was on the sofa in her living room and was found by her friend, Vincent Walmsley, at 12.30pm.

Dr Carter said although it was not possible to give an exact time of death it was “highly possible” that Ms Davies had been killed two days earlier due to the level of decomposition of the body, the temperature of the corpse and surrounding environment and the other pathological reasons.

“I thought she could have been there for quite some time,” added Dr Carter.

“It is perfectly within the pathological findings that she could have died the Saturday night.”

Earlier the jury had been told how Ms Davies was last seen alive as she went back to her flat at on Saturday evening. Then, at 11.27pm, her partner, 36-year-old Joseph Davies, who had been released from prison the day before, ran and walked quickly to the Cobra Cars taxi office on Market Street, Farnworth.

Taxi driver, Bashrat Ahmed, told the court Davies had one black eye, a bleeding cut above the other and asked to be driven to Manchester Airport.

“He looked a bit nervous,” said Mr Ahmed.

Davies, of no fixed address, denies Ms Davies’ murder.

The case continues.