A murder suspect found standing beside his fatally injured former partner later told a police officer: “I wanted to kill her.”

The comment was allegedly uttered by 29-year-old Miklos Verebes , who was earlier discovered heavily bloodstained next to Melinda Korosi as she lay dying in her Orton Road home in Carlisle.

The 33-year-old mother of two had suffered multiple wounds, including a gaping wound to her neck which was deemed unsurvivable.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Verebes, who had previously lived in Orton Road, denies murder and three allegations of raping Miss Korosi.

On the opening day of the defendant’s trial, prosecutor Andrew Thomas QC outlined how Verebes and Miss Korosi first met in their native Hungary in 2008 before coming to the UK and moving to Carlisle.

Two days before Miss Korosi died, Verebes was released from a 100-day jail sentence, imposed after he admitted assaulting her.

Describing the day of Miss Korosi’s death, on September 15 last year, Mr Thomas said that at 6am her neighbours in Orton Road were woken by loud banging. It was coming from Miss Korosi’s house.

“They looked and saw that it was the defendant, trying to get in through a window,” said Mr Thomas.

“After several attempts, he smashed the kitchen window and jumped in. The neighbours immediately realised that Melinda Korosi was in danger. They called the police. Several of them rushed outside.

“They heard Miss Korosi screaming.”

The QC said two of Miss Korosi’s neighbours – sisters Rebecca and Danielle Wilkinson – both recognised Verebes as the man who – with something held in his hand – had banged on the window and jumped through it.

The jury of seven men and five women were played a recording of the 999 call that Rebecca Wilkinson made that day.

Asked by the call handler what had happened, she said: “Quick. There’s a man just been released welting his wife. He’s put her window in and now he’s battering her. You need to get someone out now. Hurry up.

“Please hurry up. He’s smashing the house up now and there’s a woman in there... He’s gone up the stairs. He’s going to kill her.”

A few moments later, Miss Wilkinson added: “I can hear banging. Need to hurry up. She’s just screamed like a baby.”

As the call was being made, the sisters were pushing and kicking at Miss Korosi’s front door, trying to get in but it was locked from the inside.

Police arrived within three and a half minutes. One officer told the jury that there was no response when they shouted through the letter box and by this time the house was silent and in darkness.

They forced open the side door.

Mr Thomas said: “They found the defendant upstairs, on the landing, covered in blood on his face, hands and upper clothing... The defendant said something like: ‘It’s too late. She’s dead.’”

Some of the officers present that day testified before the court, including PC Janice Headworth.

As her colleagues dealt with Verebes, she tried to stem the flow of blood from Miss Korosi’s serious neck wound, pressing clothing against it.

But despite those efforts, Miss Korosi was pronounced dead at 6.19am.

The prosecution say the murder weapon was a sharp rock that was found in the house – a stone of the type found in the riverbed at Engine Lonning, Carlisle, where a witness had seen the defendant the night before.

The jury was then told about significant comments allegedly made by the defendant after his arrest.

PC Gavin Muir said he heard Verebes tell a nurse based at Durranhill Police HQ: “I feel like I deserve to be killed for what I’ve done.”

Custody Sergeant Rachel Carruthers said that, without any prompting, Verebes said: “I know what I did. I wanted to kill her. I am ready to die. I have nobody left.”

Earlier in his opening, Mr Thomas gave background to the case. This included an allegation – which prompted a response from social services – that Verebes threatened to kill himself, his partner and their children.

In July last year, the court heard, Miss Korosi dialled 999, distraught and crying. She said Verebes was smashing up the house and attacking her.

She later said it happened as she was trying to get Verebes out of bed and he had attacked her with a piece of wood. He threatened to kill her, she said.

By the time Verebes came out of prison, Miss Korosi had told police of the alleged rapes, saying he would overpower her or blackmail her emotionally.

Mr Thomas said: “Melinda Korosi alleged that the defendant had a terrible temper. He used to use physical force against her, for example: by pulling her hair; strangling her; pushing her down on the bed.

“He was emotionally controlling.

“If she refused to have sex with him, he would accuse her of having slept with somebody else... The defendant told her that she was his woman and as a man he had the right to do whatever he wanted to her.

“In the end, she just relented. The turning point had been July 20, the occasion when he had beaten her with a stick.”

Verebes said the rape allegations were lies.

Mr Thomas said: “He said they loved each other. He said she was very vulnerable and she had always said she needed his help and protection.”

But, said the QC, police and other agencies were aware she was frightened.

She had changed her locks, had security lighting installed and told neighbours she feared the defendant coming back to her house.

On November 25 last year, said the QC, during an appearance at Carlisle Crown Court, Verebes had said he was not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter “through a loss of control”.

Mr Thomas questioned: “What does that mean? ... He admitted that he was the killer but he has gone back on that admission.”

He said Verebes now claimed the killer was somebody else and he arrived after the murder was committed.

“He will say that he made admissions afterwards, including his admission in court, because he was frightened of the real killer.”

Referring to what happened to Miss Korosi, Mr Thomas added: “This was the attack which she had feared would happen: a vindictive killing by a controlling partner.”

The trial continues.