Cannabis cake ‘made man kill his partner’

‘Horror film’ attack where boyfriend stabbed and ran over victim was all filmed on her phone, court hears

‘The whole incident was like something out of the movie Scream’

‘A disordered intention caused by self-indulged ingestion of an intoxicant is as good as a sober intention’

A CANNABIS brownie triggered a psychotic episode in a man who stabbed, strangled and ran over his girlfriend, a court has heard.

Jake Notman, 27, stabbed his girlfriend, Lauren Bloomer, 25, more than 30 times in an attack recorded on her phone in November last year.

Mr Notman denies murdering Miss Bloomer at their home in Tamworth, Staffordshire, claiming he did not form the necessary intent due to his mental state. Opening the case for the prosecution at his trial at Stafford Crown Court yesterday, Deborah Gould told jurors Miss Bloomer had activated her telephone to record what was happening “like something out of the movie Scream”.

She was attacked after looking on the internet for advice on how to deal with a “bad weed trip”, the court heard.

Describing what could be seen or heard on the near-17-minute recording, which began when the couple were in a bedroom, Ms Gould told the court: “The audio captured the moments leading up to, including and after the murder.

“It shows the defendant as he began to attack Lauren Bloomer, at first with his bare hands. She was trying to care for him in this state of being disordered through cannabis. At the start of the recording you will hear her laughing and the defendant accusing her of laughing at him.”

Mr Notman, the jury heard, became aggressive nine minutes into the recording, around a minute before Lauren is heard saying “please help me” to his aunt in a call on a second phone.

Ms Gould added: “Something no doubt in the defendant’s behaviour prompted Lauren to start recording on that mobile phone. The audio recorded her calls for help.”

During the recording, the court was told, Mr Notman could be heard shouting “I will never f---ing see you again”.

Mr Notman, the court heard, was heard saying “I am going to make sure”, before the sound of a revving engine is heard. A thud was then recorded by the victim’s phone, which the Crown says was the sound of Mr Notman’s Ford Kuga being driven over Miss Bloomer.

The defendant, who worked for Jaguar Land Rover at its Solihull site, was seen by neighbours as he ran over his partner’s body, and took no steps to help her before heading back into their house, it was alleged.

He is then said to have dialled 999 at 1.32am, telling the operator he had “been told I have killed my girlfriend”.

Mr Notman, Ms Gould said, provided a statement to police suggesting the cannabis brownie had something in it other than cannabis. Telling the court that three psychiatrists had assessed Mr Notman’s behaviour, Ms Gould said it was believed he had suffered an adverse reaction. But she told the jury: “It does not provide a defence in law. A disordered intention caused by self-induced ingestion of an intoxicant is as good as a sober intention... He beat her, tried to strangle her, and sought out a knife and used it to attack Lauren.”

The psychiatrists in the case agree Mr Notman was experiencing a psychotic episode, the jury heard.

Ms Gould said Mr Notman claimed he believed he was dead and that to come back to life he had to kill his partner.

Defence barrister Andrew Fisher QC said Mr Notman suffered an “extreme florid psychiatric episode in the course of which he totally lost touch with reality and became wholly delusional”.

The trial continues.