”I want to keep it straight in my head what job I’m doing.”

Katarzyna Ryba, 26, of Bournemouth, Dorset, sought protection from the police after Piotr Zasada had previously been violent towards her.

Now, you’ll be expecting a sorry tale of how the police failed to protect her, right?

Well, yes, in a way, they did. Though they did actually act this time. You see, one of their officers took the term ‘close protection’ a little too literally:

As Ms Ryba, known as Kasha, sought help from Dorset Police, she became close to an officer assigned to her case, Pc Richard Allen.

Yup, you guessed it:

…on 1 October last year, Ms Ryba, a Polish national who worked as a waitress, had been staying at a friend's house in April Court, Wellington Road, Bournemouth.

Pc Allen had been to see her and the pair engaged in sexual activity in one of the bedrooms, the court heard.

Hopefully, he wasn’t on duty, even if he was ‘on the job’..?I mean, I don't know if there's a Big Book Of Policing Do's And Don'ts (or even a little one), but if there is, I'd expect 'Don't start an affair with the complainee in a domestic violence case, no matter what you may have seen in the movies!' to be pretty much number one...

An hour and half after the officer left bus driver Mr Zasada, also a Polish national, turned up and began attacking her.

Their daughter Michelle and Grazyna Karbownik, the mother of Ms Ryba's friend, witnessed the attack, the jury heard.

Ms Ryba suffered eight potentially fatal stab wounds and 18 slashes including defence wounds to her arms.

Mr Donne said that when Ms Karbownik went to a neighbour's flat for help, Mr Zasada threw Ms Ryba out of the window and she landed in the car park below.

The trial continues. And I bet PC Allen isn’t looking forward to the end of it Because that's no doubt when Professional Standards will want to have a few words…

Altogether now: ”And I..I..I..will always, love yoooo-oouuuu…!”