The former girlfriend of a Birmingham man accused of a triple murder said she feared he would kill her, a court has been told.

Pierre Williams denies bludgeoning to death his former lover Beverley Samuels, 36, and her children Kesha Wizzart, 18, and Fred Wizzart, 13, at their home in Manchester seven months ago.

Williams, 33, of Selly Oak, also denies sexually assaulting both women. His former girlfriend, who cannot be identified, told Manchester Crown Court that on one occasion he strangled her until she passed out before tying her up and raping her.

On another occasion she said he made her watch a pornographic film and ordered her to re-enact scenes from it after telling her he was carrying a gun.  She told police about the two incidents, which occurred five years ago, but refused to go ahead with a prosecution because "I didn't believe that Pierre should be punished".

The woman told the jury, when questioned by the defendant's barrister: "I'll always care for Pierre."

The jury was shown a video of the woman's police interview in which she said that on the first occasion, in spring 2003, he drank a bottle of vodka before trying to strangle her as she slept.  The woman said: "I was struggling at first and then my legs was getting heavy and my arms were getting heavy and I couldn't struggle. In the end I stopped struggling."

After binding her hands behind her back with tape and electrical wire he cut her pyjamas off, gagged her, blindfolded her, put a bag over her head and then tied her to a bed.  She said: "He was saying 'I'm going to kill you one of these days' and I knew he really meant it, he was going to kill me."

When she screamed he strangled her again and she blacked out, she said.  The woman said he then performed a sex act upon her and then raped and violated her. She said: "He said he was going to make sure that I'm not gonna have sex again."

She said that after the assault: "He was saying he was going to kill himself... he was saying it's too late, I've gone too far."

She also said he crashed a car and hurt himself after the incident.

On the second occasion, six months later, she said he forced his way into her home and told her to stay calm as he had a gun.
She said: "I did think he was going to kill me that night."

The woman said he taped her hands and mouth before taking her into a bedroom.  She said Williams was calm and searched the room for a panic button before sexually assaulting her.

The woman said he then made her watch a pornographic film after forcing her to swallow an ecstasy tablet.  She said: "He was walking up and down the living room talking to himself and at certain points he'd forward it and make it stop, and whatever the woman was doing... that's what he'd force me to do."

She managed to escape and get help, she said.

On the day of the triple murder - July 12 last year - she said the defendant telephoned her from a public phone box and told her he wanted to hand himself in.  She contacted police and told them where he was.

The trial continues