'Fractious' relationship between Weatherston, Elliott, court told

Clayton Weatherston told the court he didn't think he would be an easy person to have a relationship with when he was stressed. Photo / The Press / Pool

A former supervisor of murder accused Clayton Weatherston says he was aware the relationship between Weatherston and Sophie Elliott had become "fractious" and the pair were making accusations against each other.

Economics professor Philip Dorian Owen worked at Otago University in 2007 when Weatherston was a tutor and Miss Elliott a student, and told the High Court at Christchurch today that Weatherston would often complain to him about Miss Elliott being volatile and not trusting him.

"He was concerned about her temper and her outbursts."

Weatherston, 33, is on trial for the murder of Miss Elliott, 22, on January 9 last year.

He stabbed and cut Miss Elliott 216 times in her bedroom in her Dunedin family home, and admits he is guilty of manslaughter. However he says he was provoked by Miss Elliott, and lost control.

Weatherston's defence team say his psychological make-up meant he was ill-equipped to handle the relationship between the pair.

Dr Owen said there was an element of "he said, she said" from the pair.

Weatherston told him of an occasion where Miss Elliott had struck him, and that he had been forced to restrain Miss Elliott during one "innocuous" incident.

He understood that Miss Elliott had complained to her mother that Weatherston had tried to rape her, but Weatherston said this definitely did not happen.

Dr Owen said Weatherston approached him in 2007 about being in a relationship with Miss Elliott because of their respective positions, and measures were put in place to ensure there were no double standards.

"My immediate reaction was that the relationship was not a good idea."

As the year wore on, Dr Owen said he learned that the relationship was deteriorating. Weatherston would complain about Miss Elliott and he got the impression that Weatherston wanted out of the relationship.

Weatherston said Miss Elliott would exhibit "attention-seeking behaviour" to try to make him jealous.

At one party in December hosted by Weatherston, Dr Owen recalled Miss Elliott leaning over and telling Weatherston: "You're all over me one minute, and not giving me enough attention the next".

Dr Owen said he got the impression that Weatherston was relieved to learn that Miss Elliott had got a job at Treasury and was planning to leave Dunedin to move to Wellington.

He said he found Weatherston was relatively laidback, had a good sense of humour and was always calm. He got on well with most people, but had some difficulties with some of his colleagues.

"There was a degree of ultra competitiveness about Clayton."

"Clayton liked to do things on his terms. Clayton did like to be in control of a situation."

His academic record was amazing, Dr Owen said.

"The impression I got was that Clayton knew he was very good."

Miss Elliott was an excellent student and very talkative, lively and expressive in a "theatrical sense", Dr Owen said.

While Weatherston had said Miss Elliott needed constant reassurance, "I certainly wouldn't have thought she was lacking in self-confidence".

She was a bit of a breath of fresh air in the classroom, Dr Owen said.