THE second woman in the life of a murder suspect confirmed he admitted stabbing a man in phone calls from prison monitored by police.

Francesca Whaling, 28, was giving evidence in the case of Scott Davidson and his ex-fiancée Rachael Horton who both deny murder at Liverpool Crown Court.

The prosecution alleges Martin Ithell, 49, from Boughton, Chester, was shot by Davidson and then stabbed by Horton after he called at their house in Hawthorne Road, Frodsham, in connection with an unpaid debt, on the evening of March 11.

Davidson admits shooting Mr Ithell in self-defence but claims it was Horton who then stabbed him.

He met up with Miss Whaling immediately following the fatal incident after driving to Sandbach, near where she lived, with Mr Ithell’s body on the back seat. Three hours later he handed himself into police.

Miss Whaling, who works for a claims management company, told the court a sexual relationship had developed with Davidson after she met him last November when he was working at a Nantwich nightclub.

Davidson was living with Horton at the time but she understood he was single.

Miss Whaling, from Church Lawton, was in a relationship with Davidson right up until the start of the court case, had visited him in prison and had telephone contact with him during the first week of the trial.

She recalled meeting up with Davidson about 10.45pm on the fateful night when she drove to a pub car park in Sandbach and found him sitting on a bench.

They drove away in her Ford Puma car to spend more than two hours together and she did not see the vehicle he was driving.

Asked what the defendant had told her about the events of that night, she said: “He didn’t go into detail.” But she accepted knowing something serious was afoot, adding: “He said something had happened.”

Later Miss Whaling, who confirmed she had loved the defendant, initially lied to police by not telling them about seeing him that night. Prosecutor Michael Chambers QC said: “I suggest he told you that he had shot someone and that his girlfriend had stabbed them.”

He claimed the pair had then concocted a story that the deceased had been armed with a gun. But Miss Whaling denied these claims.

Under questioning by Horton’s barrister, Andrew Thomas QC, Miss Whaling agreed that on two occasions Davidson claimed it was him who stabbed Mr Ithell during phone calls from prison which had been monitored by the authorities.

Previously the prosecution claimed Davidson and Horton bought paint and decorating equipment, such as plastic sheeting, to catch Mr Ithell’s blood and cover splashes on walls.

Questioned by Davidson’s barrister, Richard Pratt QC, Miss Whaling accepted there had been talk about decorating the house and the hallway ‘some weeks before’ the fatal incident. And she told the jury she had been aware of a leak from a boiler which had marked the walls.

Miss Whaling denied a claim by the prosecutor that she had been ‘fed’ what to say by Davidson.

The trial continues.