Reporting by Keith Hunt and Lynn Cox

A hero has told of his horrifying battle to try to save the life of university student Molly McLaren as he ex-boyfriend repeatedly stabbed her in her car - and continued even after she stopped screaming.

Benjamin Morton said he tried in vain to slam the car door on Josh Stimpson’s leg to stop him knifing Molly, but he just shut the door and carried on the attack.

Stimpson, 26, of High Street, Wouldham, near Rochester, admits manslaughter, claiming diminished responsibility, but denies murder.

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The prosecution allege he stalked Molly, 23, from Cobham, after she ended their relationship and he then killed her in the car park at Dockside Outlet centre in Chatham on June 29 last year after they left PureGym separately.

Stimpson, then 25, inflicted at least 75 wounds, including slashing her throat, and Molly died at the scene.

Mr Morton told a jury at Maidstone Crown Court: “He was trying to cut her throat. He seemed to be slashing at her neck. She couldn’t resist at that point.”

He tried to stop the attack, but it continued.

“He was going for her throat just to make sure she would never come back again,” he said. “I looked at her and I thought there is nothing else I can do. She is not going to survive this.

“She seemed dead already. I thought I could at least stop him getting away.”

Mr Morton became upset during his evidence, pausing to take a drink of water.

The middle-aged man had gone to Dockside to drop his wife and a friend off at the cinema while he walked his dog.

He was sorting out music on his phone when he heard a commotion

“I moved forward to get a better view of what was happening,” he said.

“There seemed to be a fight going on. A man appeared to be hitting a woman. I stepped forward from the walkway and at that point I could see it was not just a fight but a woman seemed to be being attacked by the man.

“He seemed to have something in his hand. She was at that point resisting. He was using both his hands. He looked to be trying to overwhelm her and attack her in some way.

“She had her hands up to try and stop him. I moved closer. I gave my dog to someone.

"Then I moved closer to the car where I could see the man was attacking her with a knife or some kind of implement. It was quite small. There was already blood inside the car.

“When I got right in front of the car I could see he was stabbing her. She was trying to defend herself at that point - stabbing her towards her head and neck.

“It was something I haver never seen and hopefully never will and to be honest I didn’t know what to do. I shouted at people to say he was killing her and to call the police.

“I banged on the window of the car. I thought it might distract him. I was banging on the bonnet of the car. I was hoping the police might arrive, someone might arrive with some idea of what to do.

“It is not something you expect to find in a car park. I shouted. I said: ‘He is killing her.’ I shouted: ‘Stop killing her.’ He didn’t stop. The attack just carried on.

“She was still trying to protect herself to start with, but it was obvious she was getting weaker.”

After describing how Stimpson was slashing at Molly’s throat, Mr Morton continued: “No one else was coming so I thought I should try and do something.

“I moved to the driver’s side where he was leaning across attacking her. I could see his leg was sticking out of the door. I tried to slam the door on his leg to distract him.

“He moved his leg inside the car, then he just carried on. I moved around and grabbed his leg to see if I could pull him. His leg was covered with blood at this stage and my hand slipped off.

“At that point, I stepped back. I didn’t know what else I could do. I looked inside the car. I could see her throat had been cut. He seemed determined to make sure she was dead. He was stabbing her.

“I banged on the window of the car. I thought it might distract him. I was banging on the bonnet of the car. I was hoping the police might arrive, someone might arrive with some idea of what to do.

“It is not something you expect to find in a car park. I shouted. I said: ‘He is killing her.’ I shouted: ‘Stop killing her.’ He didn’t stop. The attack just carried on.

“She was still trying to protect herself to start with, but it was obvious she was getting weaker.”

After describing how Stimpson was slashing at Molly’s throat, Mr Morton continued: “No one else was coming so I thought I should try and do something.

“I moved to the driver’s side where he was leaning across attacking her. I could see his leg was sticking out of the door. I tried to slam the door on his leg to distract him.

“He moved his leg inside the car, then he just carried on. I moved around and grabbed his leg to see if I could pull him. His leg was covered with blood at this stage and my hand slipped off.

“At that point, I stepped back. I didn’t know what else I could do. I looked inside the car. I could see her throat had been cut. He seemed determined to make sure she was dead. He was stabbing her.”

When he realised, he could do no more he drove his car to block in Molly’s.

“I didn’t think he was out of the car at that point,” he said. “I moved back to the other side, just to watch. At some point he stopped. He got out of the car. I stood watching in case he tried to get away.

“The police arrived. I and others shouted: ‘This is the man you want.’ I think he had dropped the knife by this stage. He started walking towards them. The police arrested him.”

Mr Morton added: “I was extremely upset at the time. I sat down. I had blood on my hands where I tried to grab him. A police officer came over to me and helped me.”

He agreed with Oliver Saxby QC, defending, that in his statement he described Stimpson as looking “vacant” as he stood by the car.

Molly, who was 5ft 9in tall, had at least 75 separate injuries, including a gaping wound to her throat, pathologist Dr Olaf Biedrzycki told the jury.

“The main injury is essentially the structures of the neck have been completely cut through,” he said. “Once wound 30 was inflicted, it was completely unsalvageable.”

Molly had defensive injuries in a desperate attempt to ward off the blows.

Judge Adele Williams referred to the gaping wound to Molly’s neck and Dr Biedrzycki replied: “That is the big open wound that severed everything. This is more likely to be an incised wound, making a slicing action. There are so many wounds.”

He added: “There was sharp force damage to the bone in the neck. Severe force has been used to cause this injury.”

“This was a case of a sustained sharp force trauma attack, concentrated on the neck, as well as the face and upper chest. It left a mixture of stab wounds and incised wounds" - Dr Biedrzycki

Molly suffered wounds to her head, neck, chest and arms. Toxicology tests showed there was no alcohol or illegal drugs in her body.

Dr Biedrzycki concluded: “This was a case of a sustained sharp force trauma attack, concentrated on the neck, as well as the face and upper chest. It left a mixture of stab wounds and incised wounds.

“The main wound has completely transected all of the tissue in the neck. Once this one had been inflicted there was no medical intervention that could have made any difference.”

Another witness, Kodie Jarvis, said she had arrived at the Dockside outlet centre and saw a woman who turned out to be Molly putting something in the passenger side of her car.

She then saw a black Peugeot pull up and stop nearby in a lane. A man wearing a white vest and shorts got out and left the engine running.

“I couldn’t see him carrying anything, but I wasn’t looking for anything,” she told the jury.

“He looked around the car park. I found it suspicious that he left the engine running as he got out.

“He walked quickly to her car. The male was in her car in the driver’s side. He yanked open the door and lunged at her.”

Asked if he said anything, she replied: “Not that I can recall.”

Miss Jarvis continued: “He was going for her throat. She was screaming and her horn honked a few times, but she didn’t scream for very long.

“I was still standing by my car. I saw the man was partway inside her car, inside except for

his legs. I couldn’t see her from then on.

“I walked a short distance away. I decided to go back. I saw a man with his dog. He was kicking the bonnet and the driver’s door. He was shouting as well: ‘Call the police. Get off her.’

“She was lying across the seat. The man was still in the car. I couldn’t see exactly what he was doing. I could see he was over the top of her doing something.

“I could only see the top of his body moving. I could see him doing something with his right hand. I couldn’t tell you what.”

Miss Jarvis agreed she said in her statement the man was doing something “violent and aggressive”.

She called 999 and walked closer.

“I couldn’t see a lot by that time,” she said. “I did hear the man was stabbing. I couldn’t see a knife or a weapon. There was a lot of blood.

“The man got out of the car. He got back in for a split second. He just paced the length of her car. He stayed next to her car and put his hands on his head.

“I saw a lot of blood on the man. A lot of people were standing around. The police arrived and the man walked towards them with his hands out in front of him. He was handcuffed.”

Miss Jarvis said the whole incident lasted about 10 minutes.

She agreed with Mr Saxby she told police Stimpson carried on attacking Molly even after she stopped screaming.

She also agreed she said the attack continued even though people saw it and were trying to stop it.

Ali Hassain said he arrived at the car park and heard a man shouting : “Stop it.” He then saw a man leaning into a car with his right arm moving back and forth.

“I stood next to the passenger side and looked through the window,” he said. “She was lying across the front seat across the consul. Blood was coming out of her neck.

“I did see him stabbing her. She was lying there. There was blood all down her throat. He was stabbing her neck. I couldn’t say how many times but it was several times.

“I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He started to wipe his hands on his T-shirt. He appeared quite calm.”

Glenys McMaster had left her home in Northfleet to go shopping when she saw what was happening. She witnessed part of the attack and then walked towards the car.

“The female was slumped in her seat,” she said. “I was focussed on her injury. She had severe lacerations to her throat. Her whole throat was open and gaping.

“I could see blood on her legs. I couldn’t see how she could be alive. It was like it wasn’t real. It was like a stunt. The male was in the driver’s seat covered in blood.”

The trial continues.

Read the reports of Lynn Cox as she reported live from day four of the trial:

[Live Grid - Trial updates 4]