A university lecturer was stabbed in the neck “multiple times” while she was lying on her kitchen floor, a jury was told.

Antonella Castelvedere, 52, was found lying in two-and-a-half litres of her own blood when police arrived at her Wickham Road home in Colchester on June 1 last year.

The University of Suffolk lecturer’s husband, Ertan Ersoy, 51, has admitted killing her by manslaughter but denies murder.

He wept in the dock this morning (Monday) as forensic pathologist Dr Matthew Seeker told a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court the extent of Antonella’s injuries.

Dr Seeker said Antonella died after being found in cardiac arrest on her kitchen floor having suffered a stab wound to her neck.

A post-mortem examination of her body found 15 injuries which had been inflicted by a blade, distributed across her face, neck, upper chest and both hands.

Dr Seeker said a 15cm wide wound across Antonella’s neck which “cut through” her carotid artery proved fatal.

He said the injuries suggested there was “more than one movement of the weapon into the neck”, with her voice box also damaged.

“The injury meant there was not enough blood to take oxygen to the organs, resulting in cardiac arrest,” said Dr Seeker.

He also explained eight cuts across both of Antonella’s hands were consistent with her “trying to block the weapon and/or grab the blade”.

Other injuries the lecturer suffered during the alleged attack included cuts to her upper chest and “blunt force” wounds on her face.

Dr Seeker concluded: “The findings in this case are this was a sustained sharp force assault involving multiple movements of a bladed weapon in the direction of the deceased.”

He said the lack of blood stains on Antonella’s clothes suggested the wounds had been inflicted while she was on the floor.

During the incident, Ersoy, of Wickham Road, Colchester, sustained two cuts to his stomach from the seven inch kitchen knife.

Dr Seeker said he could not determine how they came about, but said they were “hesitance” injuries “that are commonly seen in cases of self-infliction”.

He added no defensive injuries were found on Ersoy’s body.