Kay Sinclair

Murder accused Clayton Weatherston has rejected a suggestion he did not take responsibility for his own actions.

Clayton Weatherston denies deliberately targeting aspects of Sophie Elliott's physical beauty, although he accepts he killed her.

Clayton Weatherston has described what he called R18 comments Sophie Elliottt wrote on notes he was using while giving a lecture to an economics class in September, 2007.

A Dunedin economics professor did not recall making a denigrating comment about a class presentation by honours student Sophie Elliott, the High Court in Christchurch heard yesterday.

Murder accused Clayton Weatherston was top of his class through primary and secondary school, enjoyed and excelled at sport and achieved A-plus grades through university, the High Court at Christchurch has heard.

Clayton Weatherston has told the High Court at Christchurch that when he first met Sophie Elliott in May 2007, he found her "flirty" and "forward".

Murder accused Clayton Weatherston yesterday admitted he had assaulted his former girlfriend.

Clayton Weatherston gave evidence for two hours yesterday but has yet to disclose how he came to stab Sophie Elliott more than 200 times.

Clayton Weatherston appeared calm, reserved and in control of himself when a police officer found him in Sophie Elliott's bedroom beside her dead body, a Christchurch High Court jury heard yesterday.

An hour before he stabbed his ex-girlfriend Sophie Elliott to death, Clayton Weatherston was accessing her photo albums on Facebook, the High Court at Christchurch heard yesterday.

The Crown has all but completed its evidence in the trial of 33-year-old Clayton Weatherston who denies murdering his ex-girlfriend, Sophie Elliott.

Sophie Elliott's best friend Jessica Smith has confirmed relationships Sophie had besides her involvement with Clayton Weatherston, who is accused of murdering Miss Elliott in Dunedin last year.

Living with Clayton Weatherston could be ''a bit like walking on eggshells'', a former girlfriend of the 33-year-old former University economics tutor has told the Christchurch High Court.

A woman police officer has described the bloody scene in Sophie Elliott's bedroom after the 22-year-old Dunedin student was stabbed to death by Clayton Weatherston.

Former University of Otago academic Clayton Weatherston appeared "cool, calm and unconcerned" about having been arrested for murder, a jury in the High Court at Christchurch heard yesterday.

Thin lines of blood on the carpet of Sophie Elliott's bedroom indicated she had been dragged across the floor from one corner of her bedroom after being stabbed, an ESR scientist told the High Court in Christchurch today.

Clayton Weatherston once asked his former girlfriend to compare his genitalia with those of another person she had previously been involved with, the young woman said yesterday.

A love letter from Clayton Weatherston to Sophie Elliott was read to the High Court at Christchurch yesterday on the eighth day of Weatherston's trial for killing Miss Elliott.