The murder trial jury was told that Denbigh mother of two had stab wounds to the back, head and chest.

Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rogers said that two stab wounds to the back penetrated tissue and muscles to a depth of 9cm and 7cm.

The wound to the head damaged the skull bone; the blade penetrated the scalp and on exit, penetrated the ear.

The wound to the chest penetrated 12cm. The blade struck the superior vena cava, causing “catastrophic internal bleeding”, leading to cardiac arrest and hypoxic brain injury.

During post mortem examination, facial fractures were also identified.

There were fractures to the right and left cheekbone areas and fractures to the nasal bones.

The prosecution say the facial fractures suffered by support worker Laura Stuart were caused by defendant Jason Cooper delivering forceful kicks to her face while she was lying bleeding on the floor as a result of an initial knife attack.

Dr Rogers who conducted a post-mortem on August 15 last year said that the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest penetrating the superior vena cava with associated shock and haemorrhage.

When Laura was taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital at Bodelwyddan at about 5am with blood and air escaping into the chest and she had a collapsed left lung.

Laura was transferred to hospital in Stoke when she had a rapid heart rate and falling blood pressure.

Dc Rogers said that she was in shock due to the blood loss which led to irreversible brain damage.

Laura died on August 13.

The pathologist listed her wounds and said that one of them penetrated beneath the collar bone and the chest.

It punctured her lung and damaged her superior vena cava which would have caused “catastrophic internal blood loss”.

All bones in her nose were fractured, she had hairline fracture to left cheekbone and extensive fracturing to right cheek bone, consistent to being kicked in the face.

Cross examined, Dr Rogers confirmed that Laura’s liver condition was consistent with “heavy alcohol use” but there was no cirrhosis.

Detective Sergeant Dean Jones went through the messages which had passed between the defendant and Laura in the lead-up to her death.

Cooper had sent a message to a friend after the alleged stabbing in which he had said: “couldn’t handle it. I’ve murdered Laura.”

When Cooper arrived in custody he was suicidal, and indicated he had tried to kill himself He repeatedly said “just let me die”.

A breath test taken at 4.57 a.m. gave a reading of 75 microgrammes compared to the legal limit of 35 for a driver.

He was monitored in suicide watch after his arrest.

Cross-examined, he said that he believed that a message between Laura and another man had to do with drugs.

Junior prosecutor Anna Pope read out a series of formal admissions to the jury before the close of the prosecution case at lunchtime.

The defence case is expected to start on Monday.

The prosecution say Cooper brutally stabbed his former partner with a kitchen knife after he lay in wait for her as she returned home from The Golden Lion and attacked a man who tried to protect her.

Cooper. 28 of St Hilary's Terrace, denies the murder of Laura Jayne Stuart, 33, and wounding David Roberts with intent to cause him GBH, in the early hours of August 12 last year.

The trial, before Mr Justice Simon Picken, is proceeding.