A beautician was stabbed in the heart by her cage-fighter ex who claimed she was an escort who had slept with his family, a jury has been told.

Melissa Belshaw, 32, was found with knife wounds to her heart, neck and chest after Andrew Wadsworth, 37, subjected her to a "prolonged, remorseless and deliberate" attack in her home, his trial heard.

Wadsworth allegedly came out of the house in Wigan, Greater Manchester, and pinned neighbour Gerard Bristow to the floor before repeatedly stabbing him on May 20, Manchester Crown Court heard.

He also allegedly threatened to kill the victim's 13-year-old daughter with a knife to her throat before a passer-by heard her cries of distress, smashing open the front door to rescue her, the Manchester Evening News reports.

The teenager had earlier bravely raised the alarm by calling police from inside the property before her phone battery ran out.

Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson told the third day of his trial: "People can survive injuries like this, if they get very urgent medical intervention, but quite often it is fatal."

He described it as a "very serious injury", which even with swift medical intervention can 'often prove fatal when you get a stab wound to the heart of this nature'.

Asked whether his Liverpudlian accent had drawn Wadsworth's attention to him, Mr Bristow, 46, said: "No I wouldn't say so.

"I'm not too sure. I think he launched at me because I was asking questions."

Mr Bristow said he was asking whether people inside the house were okay.

The jury was told an off duty police officer who lived nearby heard screams and went to see what had happened.

She said she saw a child who said "Andy had stabbed her mum".

The officer said the girl told her Wadsworth and Ms Belshaw had been arguing, "something about her having a sugar daddy in the house".

Jurors also heard the statement of a woman who was passing the scene in a car being driven by her husband.

"At that point I felt so scared I couldn't believe what was happening," she said.

She put her hands over her eyes, jurors heard.

Describing a man she saw with a knife, the witness added: "He had a frenzied look in his face. He looked ashen white, as if he was off his face."

Wadsworth, of Cranfield Road, Wigan, admits killing Melissa but denies murder. He claimed in police interviews he lost his temper and stabbed her after she made "shock" disclosures about her sex life, and a set-up arranged by her in which he was robbed and injured.

He also denies attempted murder and making a threat to kill. The trial continues.

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