BGT contestant Simonne Kerr 'butchered by her Iraq veteran on-off partner'

Victim: Simonne Kerr
Simonne Kerr / Facebook
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Britain’s Got Talent star Simonne Kerr was stabbed more than 70 times and “butchered” by her on-off boyfriend who tried to blame her for the attack, the Old Bailey heard today.

Iraq War veteran Desmond Sylva, 41, has admitted killing Ms Kerr at his home in Clapham shortly after she had clocked off from a shift at Guys and Thomas’ Hospital on August 15 last year.

Sylva, a former Royal Fusilier who had served two tours of Iraq and one in Kosovo, initially claimed he had been defending himself during a row with Ms Kerr, and suggested she had been the one who first brandished a knife.

He has now admitted being responsible for the death but denies murder, claiming mental illness affected his judgment at the time of the stabbing.

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC told jurors this morning Sylva was suffering from depression and on medication, but “his medical condition does not provide him with any defence to this horrific crime.

“He chose to pick up a knife, and he chose to use it again and again to stab Simonne Kerr.”

The prosecutor added; “What is obvious is that Simonne Kerr did not stand a chance, the last few minutes of her life must have been utterly terrifying.

“She was repeatedly stabbed by the man who was supposed to care for her but who in the end simply butchered her and then tried to blame her for what he had done.”

Ms Kerr appeared on last year’s series of hit ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, when she was part of B Positive - an NHS choir set up for those affected by blood-related conditions.

She and Sylva had broken off their relationship in February last year but they were back in touch in early July, around a month before Ms Kerr’s death.

Mr Glasgow told the court: “Simonne Kerr left work and travelled from the hospital where she worked as a nurse to Desmond Sylva’s flat in Clapham, south London.

“When she left the hospital it was the last time anyone who knew her was to see her alive.

“At lunchtime that day, Desmond Sylva called his brother to explain that he had just murdered his girlfriend and then he called the emergency services to report that he had just committed a murder.

“When the police arrived at Desmond Sylva’s flat, they found the lifeless body of Simonne Kerr lying beside the bed, wrapped in a duvet and covered in blood.

“Her throat had been slashed and she had been repeatedly stabbed to the right hand side of her face and her neck – Desmond Sylva had used a kitchen knife to inflict more than 70 wounds to her body and, despite her efforts to fight him off, she was clearly powerless to do so.”

The prosecutor said Sylva told police officers that he has mental health problems, and blamed the stabbing on “an argument with his girlfriend and that he had had to defend himself.

“He explained that he had armed himself with a knife that had been nearby and that he had stabbed her”, said Mr Glasgow.

“What happened to Simonne Kerr was not witnessed by anyone other than Desmond Sylva and he has proved to be a far from reliable historian.”

Mr Glasgow said Sylva told a psychiatrist four months later that Ms Kerr had been armed with the knife and he had been forced to “disarm” her.

He said Sylva has now abandoned his claim to self-defence, and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.

“He maintains that he was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning that substantially impaired his ability to understand the nature of his conduct, to form a rational judgment and exercise self-control”, he said.

Sylva denies murder. The trial continues.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT