A MOTHER held her three-year-old daughter and jumped to her death from a seventh floor balcony after months of torment from a ex-partner, an inquest was told.

It was claimed Maxine Carr, 33, feared that her former boyfriend, Ivan Delgardo, planned to snatch their child, Yazmina Alvarez-Delgardo, and return to his native Spain.

Miss Carr, of Hawley Court, London Road, Maidstone, jumped from the balcony of her flat in the early hours of Saturday, August 1 last year, suffering multiple injuries.

Yazmina was discovered cold and whimpering, but alive, close to her mother's body.

The two-day inquest into the death of Miss Carr began on April 16, and was resumed at County Hall, Maidstone.

Giving evidence at the resumed hearing, Miss Carr's boyfriend Philip Hickman said he had been in a "serious" relationship with her for a year-and-a-half. They had met in a coffee shop after Miss Carr's relationship with Mr Delgardo broke down in 2002.

Roger Sykes, coroner for Mid Kent and Medway, questioned Mr Hickman on Mr Delgardo's involvement with Miss Carr and Yazmina. "We had two years of aggression, hassle and death threats that we would both be 6ft under," claimed Mr Hickman.

He claimed Mr Delgardo, now living in Spain, had stalked Miss Carr following the end of their relationship, had attacked him and broken into Miss Carr's flat.

He said the couple successfully sought a High Court injunction against Mr Delgardo prevening him from going near Hawley Court,

Mr Hickman added that the weeks up to her death had been particularly difficult for Miss Carr. July 16 had marked the anniversary of the birth of her son, Ryan, who died from a muscle-wasting disease in the mid-1990s. Mr Hickman said that on the day, Miss Carr wanted to visit her son's grave, but would break down every 15 to 20 minutes.

"She was bubbly, lively, but from the day we went to see Ryan she started asking me questions about certain things which were playing on her mind," he added.

The inquest also heard evidence from Miss Carr's GP, Dr Michael Strachan. He said he had prescribed a course of the anti-depressant, Prozac, on December 30, 2002, because she was "feeling low".

Miss Carr had also urgently requested counselling shortly before her death, he added, and her referral notes stated it was because she feared for her safety and thought Yazmina could be kidnapped and taken to Spain by her father.

The inquest was told that police who went to Miss Carr's flat after the tragedy had to break down the door, which had been locked from the inside.

Summing up, the coroner said: "Maxine's motivation is unclear but most probably was related to her continuing fear for her physical safety and Yazmina's safety and security.

"Having lived with this continual fear for the length of time she had, she may well have been fearful that this fear would continue to blight her and Yazmina's future," he added.

He recorded a verdict of suicide while Miss Carr was suffering from depression and mental imbalance.