KILLER Will Blencowe told a doctor he was cursed, abused by his ex-girlfriend, and obsessed with the number 12, a court head.

Blencowe, 21, of Oxford Road, Banbury, told a psychiatrist he “felt like a robot” when he stabbed love rival Connor Tremble 15 times, jurors at Oxford Crown Court were told yesterday.

Blencowe – who denies murdering Connor – also said he now felt better behind bars.

Defence witness Dr Michael Orr told jurors Blencowe’s symptoms showed he may not be guilty of murder because he suffers from mental illness and claims he was acting in self defence. He said the defendant had told him he travelled to Oxford in February to buy heroin to use to kill himself.

And he said he decided to stop at 17-year-old Connor’s Fairacres Road flat to reconcile with him.

But Blencowe claimed Connor opened the door holding a knife, adding: “I grabbed his arm. It was like he was ready to get me. I could see the situation, but I was an onlooker.”

Dr Orr said: “He could see his arm going in stabbing movements.”

But Blencowe has said he could not remember exactly what happened.

Dr Orr added: “He felt he had not killed anyone because ‘someone else has stolen my body’.” The prosecution argues Blencowe had planned to hurt Connor and had calculated his escape.

Dr Orr – who said Blencowe suffered from borderline personality disorder – said his symptoms were either genuine or he had done extensive research.

Blencowe also told the psychiatrist he had been plagued by obsessive compulsions outside of prison and had to constantly make sure locks and latches were closed.

Dr Orr said Blencowe was obsessed with the number 12, adding: “He told me everything has to be 12 and the number 12 had followed him throughout his life. The way he described that to me was ‘I didn’t choose it. It chose me’.”

He said Blencowe felt better in prison, adding: “He felt safe there and he had everything done for him. He told me it was better than life outside.”

Blencowe also said his ex-girlfriend Aimee Harrison, who was dating Connor Tremble when he was killed, had broken his nose with a kettle and tried to gouge his eyes out.

But prosecutor Richard Barton, in cross examination, said Dr Orr should have looked at other evidence before making conclusions based on Blencowe’s word.

Prosecution psychiatrist Dr Sukhjeet Lally – who has interviewed about 100 killers over eight years – said Blencowe’s symptoms did not mean he did not know what he was doing when he stabbed Connor.

The trial continues.

• Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? We are running a service covering this trial as well as our normal News and Sport services. Text CONNOR or NEWS or SPORT or a combination of all three depending on which services you want, plus your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone's contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.

Our top stories