111 call-taker tells murder trial of 'blood-curdling' scream

A police emergency call-taker has described hearing a "blood-curdling" scream from a mother who walked in on her daughter being stabbed to death.

Shelley Ann Jones told the High Court today she took a 111 call on January 9 last year from the Dunedin house where Sophie Elliott, 22, was killed, and the impact of it led her to take the rest of the day off work.

Miss Elliott died after suffering 216 stab or cutting wounds.

Former Otago University economics tutor Clayton Weatherston, 33, admits the manslaughter of Miss Elliott, but is on trial in the High Court at Christchurch for her murder. Weatherston says he was provoked when Miss Elliott first attacked him with a pair of scissors.

Ms Jones took the 111 call from Miss Elliott's mother, Lesley Elliott, who has given evidence of walking in on her daughter being killed by Weatherston.

Ms Jones told the court of Mrs Elliott opening a door and then screaming down the phone line. Asked by prosecutor Robin Bates to describe the screams, Ms Jones said it was "blood curdling" and "unsettling".

It took time to get Mrs Elliott to say what was happening, she said.

After the call, Ms Jones took a break from her work. Because she was "quite pale and shaky", she was told to go home from work for the day.

Robert Alexander, a senior economics lecturer at Otago University told the court today he taught Miss Elliott and met with her regularly. She had high economic ability, he said.

Dr Alexander said he learned from Miss Elliott in 2007 that she and Weatherston were in a relationship.

He said he was not sure he needed or wanted to know this, but felt the head of department at the economics department at the university should be made aware, and arrangements needed to be made in relation to a course taught by Weatherston that Miss Elliott was taking.

Earlier, Sophie's mother Lesley Elliott told the court her daughter lost control when she was in Weatherston's office at Otago University on January 7 last year, over Weatherston's denial that a previous assault by him had taken place.

Miss Elliott was in Weatherston's office two days before she was killed in the bedroom of her Dunedin family home by Weatherston. Miss Elliott died after being cut and stabbed 216 times.

Miss Elliott and Weatherston had previously been in a relationship, while Weatherston had lectured Miss Elliott in economics at the university.

Questioned today by prosecutor Marie Grills, Mrs Elliott said she spoke to her daughter after the January 7 meeting with Weatherston.

Miss Elliott had been shaking when Weatherston hugged her in his office, Mrs Elliott said her daughter recounted.

When Weatherston asked her why she was scared, Miss Elliott referred to when he had assaulted her on December 27, 2007. Miss Elliott told her mother that on that day he had put one arm around her neck and another over her mouth and thrown her on his bed.

When Miss Elliott "lost it" on January 7, she "went at him" and re-enacted this same arm grip on Weatherston, Mrs Elliott said.

"I think she was really upset that she had lost it because it wasn't in her nature."

Weatherston's defence is that Miss Elliott attacked him first with a pair of scissors on the day he killed her.