A TERRIFIED woman ran into Bradford's central police station to escape her "aggressive and controlling" partner who was following her armed with a martial arts weapon, a jury heard.

CCTV footage of Nicola Slater dashing up to the help desk at Trafalgar House on Nelson Street was played at Bradford Crown Court today.

Miss Slater, 35, broke down in tears as she alleged Andrew Delsol locked her in his attic flat for hours on end, flew into rages and repeatedly threatened to "bust her skull open."

She said he would froth at the mouth and go crazy like a madman.

Delsol, 50, who is not in court for his trial, denies two charges of false imprisonment, two counts of common assault, battery and possession of an offensive weapon, all between April 1 and July 30 last year.

The jury heard that he had "committed serious acts of violence on women in the past."

Drawing attention to the empty dock, Judge David Hatton QC said yesterday: "There is no defendant here and it would be quite wrong to speculate why he isn't here and you must not do so."

Miss Slater wept as she told the court she got to know Delsol in March last year.

"When I first met him there were no signs of him being the way that he is now. He was nice. He was polite.

"He was totally different from how he ended up," she said.

He became possessive, aggressive and threatening after she moved into his attic flat in Gaythorne Road, West Bowling, Bradford, she alleged.

He felt people were plotting against him, Miss Slater said, adding: "I was treading on eggshells all the time."

There was only one key to the flat and he locked her in when he went out, sometimes for up to 12 hours.

When she told him she wanted to leave, he pushed her to the floor and ordered her to sit on the bed.

She said she was shaking and crying.

Miss Slater said she left while pretending to take out the rubbish and went to her family in Keighley.

She went back because she feared Delsol would hurt her relatives and because she had nowhere else to go.

She alleged he threatened to "box her in the face" and "chuck her on to the side of the road."

On July 30, she ran into the police station after managing to stay several yards ahead of Delsol as they walked to the Job Centre.

The jury heard that he was in possession of a martial arts weapon when he was arrested.

Prosecutor David McGonigal asked Miss Slater: "Did you become aware that he had committed serious acts of violence on women in the past?"

She told the jury she did.

The trial continues.

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