Murder accused 'Googled most painful stab location'

Jose Leonardo is accused of searching on Google for the "most painful place to stab someone"

A man killed his wife after searching online for the "most painful place to stab someone", a court has heard.

Jose Leonardo, 56, denies murdering Maria Mbombo, 52, in their home in Belsize Park, west London, on 18 May.

Prosecutors said there was no dispute Mr Leonardo killed her, but he has claimed it was manslaughter by "loss of control".

He also denies perverting the course of justice by trying to prevent his children giving evidence against him.

The Old Bailey heard the pair had moved to London from Holland in 1993 where Mr Leonardo worked as a minicab driver and Ms Mbombo was a cleaner.

On 18 May, Mr Leonardo had used his mobile phone to make searches for "can I survive stab in the eye" and "most painful place to stab someone", prosecutor John Price QC said.

'Slowly bled to death'

Later that night, the couple's son Carl Mbombo called emergency services, who found the 23 year old trying to resuscitate his mother on a bedroom floor.

Police then found Mr Leonardo wearing a white vest drenched in blood. He told them he had had "a fight" with his wife, Mr Price said.

The prosecutor told the court the defendant had been with Ms Mbombo for "some while" after stabbing her and did "nothing to summon help".

A post-mortem found she had "slowly bled to death", he said.

The jury heard Mr Leonardo had been accused of being violent towards his wife previously and police had investigated a claim Ms Mbombo had been attacked by him in Belgium, although no action was taken.

After being charged, the Uber driver asked his long-term lover to speak to his sister to persuade his sons not to give evidence against him and remain "neutral", the court was told.

The trial continues.