A man tried to murder his live-in partner by strangling her because he suspected her of cheating, it has been alleged.

Alan Brough is claimed to have attacked her at his home in Halliday Drive in Walmer, leaving her struggling to breathe.

A jury heard how the 63 year old – who denies attempted murder – is alleged to have installed a spy camera in the bedroom and also paid for a private eye to follow her.

But prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC told a jury at Canterbury Crown Court that Brough’s “paranoid” suspicions were unfounded.

In May 2017, Brough had made an emergency call to police at 10.20pm, telling the operator he thought he had killed his partner.

“He went on to say that he thought she had been having an affair and that he had flipped and got her round the neck.

“At the time he was making the call, the woman was struggling to breathe and Brough could be heard begging her to breathe and begging her to stay alive.

“He can be heard saying: ‘Come on...come on breathe!’ she told the jury.

Ms Marshall said that although Brough told the operator he thought she was having an affair, “that wasn’t the case at all”.

The woman, who we are not naming, told the jury their relationship was at first a loving one – and the pair often exchanged text messages.

“At first it was just lovely and I was over the moon," she said.

The couple shared holidays to Amsterdam and Malta but then “he would come out with ridiculous statements. I just couldn’t understand why. I have never had an affair in my life, for goodness sake,” she added.

Police found the woman unconscious, lying on a bed in a spare bedroom, her body convulsing and her teeth clamped shut.

Ms Marshall said a doctor was flown in by helicopter to treat her before she was taken to the William Harvey Hospital where she remained sedated for 48 hours.

“She had various injuries, including dots of blood around the eyes, caused by her neck being compressed for between 15 to 30 seconds," it was alleged.

The alleged victim had also suffered damage to her voicebox after being hit possibly by a fist, the prosecutor claimed. But she has no memory of any part of the attack.

The woman, who gave her evidence from behind screens, told the jury she suffered flashbacks but not about the incident and still suffers from memory problems now.

The couple had moved in together but the relationship deteriorated because Brough came to believe that she was having affairs.

The prosecutor added that the nature of his beliefs can be described as paranoia."

The trial continues.