The man accused of murdering young mother Chena Trott loved his girlfriend and did not intend to kill her, defence lawyers told a Supreme Court jury yesterday.

George (Messy) MacDonald Liburd is charged with murdering Ms Trott at the Crawl Esso Tigermart in August, 2002. Liburd has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibility.

The plea means defence lawyers must show how he was suffering from an abnormality of the mind at the time of the killing.

Yesterday, Queen's Counsel John Perry told the five man, seven woman jury that Police statements taken on August 9 did not reflect the full picture and that Liburd did not intend to kill his girlfriend, who he said he loved.

Ms Trott, who is survived by three children, was brutally stabbed by Liburd and left to die on the pavement outside the service station. Eyewitnesses who attempted to save her life said Liburd fought off anyone who tried to stop him as he thrust the knife repeatedly into Ms Trott's body. Medical evidence presented during the trial this week confirmed that she died from two stab wounds which punctured her heart and her lung. Det. Sgt. Barry Richards told the court he arrested Liburd with Det. Con. Alan Gorbutt and Det. Con. Ronald Green. He found Liburd at a Dudley Hill, Paget residence on the evening of August 9, where he was handcuffed and sitting on the floor.

Det. Sgt. Richards said Liburd was told he was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms Trott to which he responded, "Yes, I know her, I used a f***ing knife."

Liburd told Police: "That girl is a wicked witch. I'd f***ing do it again, that girl is a f***ing bitch, I'd f***ing go off and sit up there for life or I'd f***ing kill myself but I'd f***ing do it again. When I loved we loved deep, that girl played a f***ing game on me, I'd f***ing do it again."

During questioning Liburd said: "I would kill Yankee, I should have killed Yankee that f***ing rat."

According to Det. Sgt. Richards when the knife used to kill Ms Trott was found on the carpet in one of the bedrooms, Liburd said: "That girl is a bitch she provoked me to the limit."

Liburd initially told Police that someone else had stashed the knife away and he did not know where it was. According to Det. Sgt. Richards, Liburd also confessed to Police. "Sometimes you just get into a situation where you can't walk away. I had no mask on. The boys took the knife and stashed it away."

Police also searched the apartment and found blood on a mattress in one of the bedrooms and blood on the sheets. When questioned, Liburd told them the blood came from a cut in his foot.

However, Mr. Perry said Liburd was co-operative in telling Police where he had stashed the sock which covered the knife used to kill Ms Trott. He maintained his client never used the word f**k with Police.

"I will suggest to you, Det. Sgt. Richards that he never said, that girl is a wicked bitch, I'd f***ing do it again, it would be best if you shoot me, look what we're into now. that girl is a f***ing bitch, I'd do it again, he never said this, he loved his girlfriend and he never intended to kill her, he said it was through my acting out that I did this," said Mr. Perry.

Det. Sgt. Richards said: "I wrote in my notes what I heard, I would have wrote that if I heard it."

Mr. Perry suggested that Det. Con. Gordon first brought up the name Yankee during questioning because he thought Yankee had been dating Ms Trott. "I will suggest to you that Gordon mentioned the name Yankee because he understood that Yankee had been seeing Ms Trott and this was the reason that the name Yankee came into play."

Mr Perry maintained that Liburd also made the point that he never had a mask on and everyone would know that he was the one who killed Ms Trott.

"I wrote down what was said, that was my job," said Det. Sgt. Richards.

The court also heard that on August 5, Ms Trott went to the Hamilton Police Station with "tears streaking down her face".

Police Officers followed up the report of domestic violence by picking up Ms Trott from the Fentons Drive, Pembroke residence where she was staying with Liburd.

Sgt. Ralph Ming told the court that when he went to the residence with three other officers Liburd appeared to be calm and normal, but stood very close to Ms Trott.

As officers spoke with her at the door Liburd was "pressed up against her in a guarded position."

"He appeared immediately attentively listening to the conversation, at one point he was between myself and Ms Trott as we stood at the door," said Sgt. Ming.

Officers asked Ms Trott to come with them, but Liburd followed her around closely as she gathered her belongings. "He requested to speak with her privately and I responded with the words that she was going with us," said Sgt. Ming.

"When you last saw the accused how did he appear to you?" asked Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney.

Sgt. Ming responded: "On the edge. He was very concerned at that point that we were taking Ms Trott away from the house. He even followed us to the Police car."

This week during the trial it emerged that Liburd and Ms Trott had a relationship dating back to 1999. However, on August 6, three days before she died, she had taken out a temporary protection order against Liburd which prevented him from having contact with her or her children for 28 days, an order which he broke.

Ms Trott even felt so threatened by Liburd that she had filed on August 6 for a notice of hearing for a protection order which would have protected her from Liburd for at least 12 months.