A man stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death in a frenzied attack in a shopping centre car park after begging her not to break up with him, a court heard.

Joshua Stimpson met 23-year-old student Molly McLaren on Tinder and they dated for seven months until things turned sour and she ended the relationship.

Just two weeks later he bought a kitchen knife and attacked her in her car in Chatham, Kent, his trial at Maidstone Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old admits manslaughter but denies murder – a plea not accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dressed in a blue suit, blue shirt and tie, Stimpson dabbed his eyes with a tissue as he entered the court room and listened to prosecutor Philip Bennetts QC opening the case.

Mr Bennetts said: “There is no dispute that he killed Molly McLaren.

“In certain circumstances the charge of murder can be reduced to manslaughter. In this case the defence will assert that it should be.

“The defendant has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Molly McLaren.

“The plea is on the basis that at the time of the killing, Joshua Stimpson was suffering from diminished responsibility.

“The prosecution does not accept that he was.”