A jeweller accused of stabbing her abusive boyfriend to death at their home in Hanwell told jurors how he would "take on the persona" of notorious criminal Charles Bronson during attacks on her.
Elizabeth Hart-Browne, 27, described a catalogue of violence at the hands of 25-year-old Stephen Rayner in the years before she allegedly plunged a large kitchen knife into his neck.
The mother-of-two said he had become increasingly angry and depressed after the death of his grandmother and routinely assaulted her physically and verbally.
She was giving evidence at the Old Bailey, where she stands accused of his murder, a charge she denies.
Mr Rayner, who grew up in Hammersmith , was killed at Baker House in Nightingale Road, Hanwell, on September 17 2016.
Hart-Browne said the partner took on the persona of his idol Charles Bronson during a terrifying incident at the family home.
Mr Rayner, who was then staying in Bournemouth, shouted and kicked the front door after he arrived drunk to visit the children and she refused to let him in, the court heard.
The defendant said: “He said he was going to kill me when he got into the house.”
“He had a fascination with Charles Bronson. He is Britain’s most notorious prisoner.
“He (Stephen) liked his aggression. There were lots of stories about him attacking prisoners and guards.
“He would take on that persona sometimes when he was angry. His whole accent changed, his whole being would change and I couldn’t get through to him.”
Jurors were told how Mr Rayner talked about getting a gun in text messages and also threatened to kill the defendant’s family.
Hart-Browne said: “He was very angry. I didn’t know whether to believe him or not.”
After one savage attack in which he punched her and bit her on the nose, Hart-Browne decided to take out a life insurance policy, the court heard.
She told jurors: “Stephen got very angry. He was punching me and then he bit my nose.
“He had his hands around my throat. His dad was still on the phone when he was attacking me going ‘I’m going to kill her, I’m going to kill her’.
“I pushed him and scratched his face to get him off me. He just got up and walked out.”
Mr Rayner was arrested for the alleged assault days later on January 28 2015 and, in the meantime, she took out the policy.
Life insurance
Hart-Browne said: “After what happened, I got increasingly scared for my safety. I took out life insurance.”
James Scobie QC, defending, asked: “What made you do that?”
She replied: “Because I believed I was in danger of him killing me and I didn’t want my kids to be left with nothing.”
The lawyer read out an exchange of text messages between the couple in which Hart-Browne said she missed and loved him, even as he was being sought by police.
She explained her feelings at the time, saying: “I did love him. I did not want my family to fall to pieces.
“I had never had a family and I wanted to give my kids something I never had - a home, parents who loved them and loved each other.”
The trial was adjourned until Wednesday (April 4).
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