Sultan Khan 'killed Shobhna Jethwa in compensation row'

A man stabbed his married girlfriend in a "violent frenzy" when they rowed over compensation owed to him for an accident at work, a court has heard.

Shobhna Jethwa, 45, was found slumped on her sofa with 20 stab wounds by her 16-year-old daughter and son, 12, in Luton in September 2011.

Sultan Khan, 51, of Durbar Road, Luton, denies murder.

St Albans Crown Court heard Mrs Jethwa helped him after his accident in May 2011 but then "badgered" him for money.

Mr Khan was working on a new bypass at Bicester in Oxfordshire when he was hurt and had to be airlifted to hospital, the jury heard.

His boss, Kuldeep Singh, said Mrs Jethwa was "very upset" when she heard what had happened, but when he later spoke to Mr Khan he said: "tell her nothing".

Prosecutor Allan Mainds said Mrs Jethwa conducted an intense relationship with Mr Khan for two years and was also having an affair with a younger man.

There were a "great number of calls" between the couple in the days before her death, with nearly all the calls made by Mrs Jethwa, the court heard.

On 9 September, Mr Khan was seen on CCTV travelling by bus near her home in Butely Road and a neighbour saw him use his crutches to open Mrs Jethwa's garden gate.

Mr Mainds said the prosecution did not believe that Mr Khan had gone to the house to kill, as he had bought Mrs Jethwa a top-up for her mobile phone.

He said the defendant attacked her while she was ironing during a row over the money.

Jaswinder Kaur, who lives in the same building as Mr Khan, told the jury she had seen him later that day, at about 15:00 GMT.

He asked her for the key to the front door because had left it with his girlfriend who "wasn't coming today", she said.

The jury has heard Mrs Jethwa's husband was on a Virgin train between Manchester and Euston at the time she died, and her other boyfriend was at a mosque.

The trial continues.