AN ex-boyfriend of a mother-of-six has been accused of brutally attacking her with a metal bar and chisel – leaving her for dead.

David Kent is alleged to have assaulted Samantha Barker after knocking on the door of her Etwall home just days after she had broken off their short relationship.

The 40-year-old denies attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He claims he was not the attacker.

A 13-year-old boy, who was at the house at the time, witnessed the assault and called the emergency services when the man, who was dressed in a balaclava and dark clothing, left.

Miss Barker, who suffered injuries to her head, face, neck and hands, underwent surgery and had to stay in hospital for two weeks. She had part of one of her fingers amputated.

David Herbert, prosecuting, told Derby Crown Court yesterday: "(She) was doing her best to protect her head by shielding it with her hands.

"The blows were to the head, face and neck. The attacker essentially left her for dead."

He told the jury that the prosecution's case was that Kent, of Alvaston, "attacked Miss Barker because she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him and had started to form a relationship with someone else".

The court heard how the couple had met at the beginning of September last year when Kent was doing some building work on a bungalow next to her home in Belfield Road, Etwall.

"Quite soon, around about the end of October last year, the relationship had run its course," said Mr Herbert.

Miss Barker told the jury that Kent was not somebody that she would usually go for.

She said: "I was feeling really low and he gave me positive attention and that was nice to start with but became oppressive very quickly. I felt that his expectations of the relationship exceeded what I wanted from it."

Miss Barker said that a few days after an argument at the end of October she told him she did not want to continue.

However, when put to her by Caroline Bradley, for Kent, that she did not tell him it was over but instead asked for some time to think about it, she said: "Possibly."

Miss Barker had then begun a relationship with an old school friend called James Ball, who was at her house on November 9 last year when she received a "suicide letter" from Kent.

He said that she had left him hanging on, lied to him and punished him – "rubbing my face in it" – by having Mr Ball to stay over.

He said that Miss Barker had pushed him over the edge and ended the letter saying: "You are responsible for my death. I wouldn't have done this without you."

Miss Barker told the jury she called the police the following evening and discovered that Kent was in hospital after being involved in a car accident, having consumed alcohol and taken some tablets.

Then on November 20 about 11.30pm, Miss Barker answered a knock at the door and was attacked "instantaneously".

Mr Herbert said the boy told police the weapon had been a yellow pole.

The jury heard that the attack happened just minutes after Miss Barker had ended a phone conversation with her then boyfriend, Mr Ball.

The prosecutor told the court that all the evidence pointed to Kent as the attacker.

CCTV footage that had captured Kent a few hours before the attack, showed what appeared to be a yellow metal pole sticking out of his rucksack, Mr Herbert told the jury.

Kent was arrested at his home in Hawthorne Avenue, Alvaston, at 3am on November 21. Police discovered he had put his washing machine on and it contained a black hat, with eye-holes cut out, and a pair of dark trousers.

Records of mobile phone companies showed that his phone had been used in both Normanton and Mickleover that night. Mr Herbert said this was consistent with Kent making his way over to Etwall.

The trial continues.