A SHOP cleaner who was murdered in a park in Taunton tried to fight off her killer, a court has been told.

Heather Jordan struggled to release the stranglehold around her neck before she was overpowered and killed in Lyngford Park in February.

Workmate Martin Corns is on trial at Exeter Crown Court accused of murdering 34-year-old Heather in a jealous rage after she rejected his advances and told him to leave her alone.

Corns, aged 52, worked as an early morning cleaner at Boots with Heather and is alleged to have killed her as she walked to her other job as a cleaner at the Coop in Priorswood on Sunday February 18.

The prosecution say he developed an obsession with Heather and became manipulative, jealous and possessive even though she had only met him for coffee and day trips and their relationship was not sexual.

Heather planned to lodge a complaint about his pestering with bosses at Boots on the Monday but was killed before she could do so, the jury were told.

He sent her 12 red roses for Valentine's Day, four days before the killing, but she told family and friends they were not a welcome gift.

She grew up in Dorchester but moved to Taunton a few months before her death and lived with her mother and brother in Pickeridge Close.

Corns, of Denmark Terrace, Taunton, denies murder. He says he had nothing to do with the killing and Heather must have been strangled by someone else.

Home Office consultant pathologist Dr Russell Delaney said Heather died from strangulation, probably manual but possibly by being held in the crook of her arm.

Scratches were found on her neck which were caused by her clawing at her attacker to try to release the pressure. Traces of her own blood were found under her fingernails.

Lifelong family friend Michael Duff told the jury he discussed Corns with Heather as he gave her a lift back to Dorchester for a Christmas visit.

At that stage she thought he was a 'nice feller' but they were just friends who she saw outside work for a coffee.

Mr Duff said:"She said he was very over possessive and was stalking her. That was the gut feeling I had. She said he kept following her around at work. She said he made snide remarks about her having a nice backside and chest.

"In January she told me she was thinking of leaving Boots. She did not say why but I thought it was because he was getting too obsessive over her.

"The last time I saw her was on February 14, Valentine's Day. I saw 12 red roses which she said were from Martin and I got the impression she was not happy about it.

"She said she was going to be putting in a complaint on Monday with her boss at Boots."

Heather's father Alan Jordan, who lived in a room in the same home as Corns, said he saw him lying on his bed, watching television and smoking shortly after Heather was found dead.

He said:"I told him and he said 'you must be joking'."

Heather's brother Matthew said she had become depressed and upset by the pressure she felt from Corns's attention. She said he was needy and was pestering her.

He saw her the day before she was killed and said she was no longer the outgoing, chatty person she used to be and was becoming depressed.

The trial continues.