A FATHER of two strangled his partner and dumped her body in a Southall canal on Christmas Day, a court heard on Monday.

Manzar Juma, 29, throttled 23-year-old Ruby Love after she taunted him about his dead parents, jurors at the Old Bailey were told.

He then put her body in the boot of his car and drove it into the Grand Union Canal in Southall. She was found in the water a few hours later.

Juma told police he last saw her when he dropped her off at a pub in Southall but now claims he ‘lost it’ after she provoked him during a row.

Jurors were told he was convicted of two assaults against Miss Love in March 2009 and had been repeatedly arrested following his partner’s calls to police.

Their first child, a two-year-old boy, was taken into care because of the history of domestic violence. Their second was only a month old at the time of the alleged murder.

Juma said they got back together again two days before she died, but after a romantic meal on Christmas Eve they got into an argument.

Juma said he was feeling so unhappy he started looking at old photos of his dead father and mother, but Miss Love called him a ‘sad sap’.

He claimed she then picked up a kitchen knife and prodded him with it repeatedly.

Juma then grabbed her by the throat and disarmed her, the court heard.

He said: "I knew I would probably cause serious injury but it just happened so quickly. I was angry and upset. I didn’t intend to kill her."

Juma said he tried to resuscitate her but did not call 999 because he was scared: “I just panicked and the thought crossed my mind to get rid of the body.”

A post mortem showed Miss Love had bruising below her jawbone and marks consistent with sustained pressure to the neck for at least 20 to 30 seconds.

Detectives later found some of Juma’s clothing in a bin bag along with hygiene products, his UK passport and driving licence and bank cards. Miss Love’s blood and fibres from her jacket were found in Juma’s Vauxhall Zafira.

Miss Love, who was born with the name Rubina Malik, had a third child, an eight-year-old daughter.

Juma, of Hexham Gardens, Northolt, denies murder, but has admitted manslaughter.

He also claimed his responsibility is diminished because he was suffering from a personality disorder and depression, the court heard.

The trial continues.