A 43-year-old accused of murdering her partner had told her probation officer she believed he “wanted her dead”, a jury has heard.

Nina Mercer is on trial for allegedly killing Alan Tomkins after he was found with a 17cm blade sticking out of his back in Strood last year.

The 61-year-old was found by police dead in a pool of dried blood at his flat in Newark Court, Gun Lane, on July 23 after his friends raised concerns for his welfare.

It is alleged that Mercer stabbed the convicted child sex offender at least six times as he ate pizza before she fled the scene.

Today (February 24), the court heard evidence from her probation officer Saran Leech who was assigned to Mercer in August 2023 after she received a suspended sentence for shoplifting.

Ms Leech told the jury that when she met Mercer she told her she was living in a tent in the forest and although she was “emotional” was “quite normal”.

Mercer did have an address in Scholar’s Rise, Strood, but told the officer she did not want to go back there because of issues with her neighbours.

The court heard that as part of her probation requirements, Mercer was meant to attend drug rehabilitation sessions for heroin and crack cocaine use at the Forward Trust.

During the time Ms Leech was involved with Mercer, she said the defendant was “trying” to access help but was continuing to take the class A substances.

It was not until a probation meeting in December 2024 that Ms Leech heard of Mercer’s involvement with the victim, the court was told.

Ms Leech explained Mercer said she was living with a “friend” a few days a week. The probation officer said she was not aware of a sexual relationship between the pair.

She told the jury she did have concerns about the nature of their relationship, due to the age gap and Mercer’s vulnerability as a drug addict, but they appeared to be getting on “fine”.

In May, Mercer told Ms Leech that she was sleeping rough and sofa-surfing again and was no longer living at Mr Tomkins’ flat after finding out about his criminal history.

However, a month later the defendant said she had moved back in with him and that he was buying her drugs.

Ms Leech said Mercer had told her she believed Mr Tomkins was “trying to kill her” by lacing her drugs and spiking her drinks and “felt someone had it in for her”.

Despite Ms Leech telling Mercer to leave the flat, Mercer told her she “had no choice” and couldn’t as she was looking after his cat.

Ms Leech told the jury the defendant had confided in her that she was scared of multiple people, thought the people of Strood were “trying to hurt her” and that Mr Tomkins “wanted her dead”.

She added: “She was looking behind her a lot. She was completely paranoid and it was clear her mental health had declined quite drastically.

“She would not let me speak loudly about certain things like [Mr Tomkins]. She kept looking behind her out the window.”

Ms Leech said Mercer had also made comments on several occasions saying if “anything happened to her, it was Alan”.

A referral was made following concerns for her safety as the officer had seen a sharp decline in her mental health in June and July.

When questioned, Ms Leech said she had merely recorded in her notes what Mercer had told her in their probation meetings and whether the accusations were real is not known.

The court heard the last date Ms Leech had contact with Mercer was on July 15 when she said she had bought a one-way ticket to Spain to see her family.

However, the jury was told on July 24, the day after Mr Tomkins’ body was found, Mercer had come to the Medway probation office in a “state” looking for Ms Leech but she had already left for the day.

Two days later, Mercer was arrested for murder when she turned up at Newark Court during the early hours as police were carrying out their investigations into Mr Tomkins’ death inside his flat.

Mercer is accused of stabbing Mr Tomkins in the back “repeatedly” before fleeing the property and calling her friend Lee Robinson to help her “cover her tracks”.

The pair then allegedly returned to the flat where Robinson, 45, stole Mr Tomkins’ wallet and cash card before buying groceries and getting cashback with it.

He faces charges of assisting an offender by driving Mercer from the scene in Mr Tomkins’ car and is also accused of helping her dispose of items relating to the alleged murder.

He was also charged with theft and fraud, relating to Mr Tomkins’ wallet, and another count of theft of another man’s cash cards which were stolen from another property around the same time.

Robinson recently admitted those charges but still denies the allegation of assisting an offender.

Last week, forensic pathologist Benjamin Swift was questioned about a post-mortem report he carried out the day after Mr Tomkins was found dead.

It detailed how he had 10 signs of injuries on his body including six stab wounds and four smaller wounds he believes may have been defensive wounds.

The worst of the injuries, and the fatal wound, included a 17cm knife being plunged into Mr Tomkins.

Mercer denies murder. The trial, which is being presided over by Judge Oliver Saxby KC, continues.