A bankrupt electrician "strangled" his ex-partner in the back of his van after she confronted him for "lying” about going to prison, a court has heard.

Tom Verrall, 33, is said to have jumped on Millie Windsor in the back of his Ford Transit van after she accused him of lying to her about the state of his business which had gone bankrupt eight months earlier.

A trial held at Brighton Magistrates' Court heard yesterday that Ms Windsor confronted Verrall about his claims that he was going to prison for fraud and that he even made her write a fake witness statement about him.

The pair were on a campsite in Steyning when the father-of-one “flew” at her, pinned her down, chucked her out of his van “like a bag of rubbish and chased her".

The court heard that Ms Windsor was left with bruises on her eye and a broken tooth.

They had been in an “on and off” relationship for around two years until she ended the relationship in July 2022. She said they remained friends as he was going through difficulties.

The court heard that Verrall, of Gordon Road in Fishersgate, also accused her of being with a new man.

She confronted Verrall about his claims on August 27, 2022, after “realising it was all a lie”.

“I asked him if he had been telling me the truth about the difficulties in his life,” she said behind a curtain in court yesterday.

“I kept asking but I did not believe him. I told him ‘you’re a f****** liar’. We were sitting opposite each other and he just flew at me from where he was sitting and pinned me down.

“One of his hands was on my nose and one was on my mouth. He sat on top of me and pushed my head down.

MOST READ:

​To have access to all of our best stories subscribe to The Argus here

“I could not breathe. My legs were kicking but he was sitting on my thighs. Then it all just went black. There was no air at all. I knew I was going to die.

“The next thing I remember he picked me up in the air and threw me like a bag of rubbish out of the van.”

Ms Windsor said she ran to a nearby tent and people got in between her and Verrall. She said her tooth was broken from the incident. The court was shown images of bruising to her leg and eye.

She received messages the next day from Verrall saying he was sorry and was getting a one-way flight to Australia.

The court heard that he messaged saying “Saturday was crazy” and he “never wanted to be in that situation”.

Verrall continued to send messages, emails and even a letter via email following the incident between the end of August and October, the court heard. Verrall also sent a friend request to Ms Windsor under the pseudonym Bob Smith and started messaging her.

Part of the letter said: “I am not sure where to start, I am so ashamed of what I did. I told my parents, they completely washed their hands with me.”

He handed himself in to police in November 2022.

Verrall, wearing a white shirt and black tie, was in the dock with his head down for much of Ms Windsor's evidence.

He denies intentional strangulation and stalking.

The trial continues.