'Jealous ex-lover' killed woman

It is thought Ms Szmecht may have been set alight using an accelerant

A young waitress was kidnapped by her jealous ex-boyfriend, taken to a country lane and repeatedly stabbed before being set alight, a court heard.

Monika Szmecht, 21, who was from Poland but lived in Liverpool, ran for help and was able to identify her attacker before she died, a jury was told.

Former boyfriend Anthony Clarke, 27, of West Derby, Liverpool, denies the murder of Ms Szmecht in June last year.

The trial at Liverpool Crown Court was adjourned until Monday.

Andrew Menary QC, prosecuting, told the court Mr Clarke forced Ms Szmecht into the back of a Combi van where she was held captive for more than four hours.

He said Clarke then drove her to a country lane in St Helens, Merseyside, where she was stabbed several times before he doused her in petrol and set her alight causing 80% burns to her body.

Mr Menary said when that did not kill the young woman, Clarke stabbed her further before leaving her to die.

Ms Szmecht had recently split up from the defendant

But Ms Szmecht, originally from Kloda, near Leszno, Poland, crawled to the nearby home of John Turner and banged on the door.

Mr Menary said when Mr Turner opened the door he found a young woman lying on his driveway who had obviously suffered terrible burns over most parts of her body from her head to her shins.

He added: "Virtually all her hair had been burnt off, and her head was still smouldering.

"Remarkably, this woman was still conscious and managed to say a few words.

"When a paramedic asked her how it happened she said that her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend had done it."

Mr Menary told the jury Clarke had ended a year-long relationship with Ms Szmecht shortly before the murder.

Previous attack

He said that although Clarke began seeing someone else, he refused to allow Ms Szmecht to see other men and became jealous.

The defendant had been violent towards Ms Szmecht and she had reported him to police, he added.

He also said Ms Szmecht had demanded £1,000 from Clarke for her to withdraw her statement.

The jury was told that at 1600 BST on 11 June, two hours before Ms Szmecht was due to attend a police station and give a formal statement, she was met by Clarke near her home in Croxteth.

He bundled her into the van and held her there for four hours until he drove to Light Foot Lane, Rainford, where the fatal attack took place.

"Because she got up off the ground, Anthony Clarke said that he stabbed her yet again before driving away," the prosecutor added.

The trial continues.