A mother was stabbed nearly 50 times during a frenzied attack by her abusive husband a day after he was released from custody for assaulting her, an inquest heard.

Neil Harman, 57, murdered his wife Sharon Elaine Harman, 49, at their Polperro home during a "sustained attack" before taking his own life, the coroner was told.

The victim, known to family and friends as Elaine, had reported Neil, a commercial fisherman, for an assault two days earlier and he was released on bail the following day with the condition to stay away from her.

But the inquest heard he let himself into the family home and inflicted 47 knife wounds on Elaine in the kitchen as she desperately tried to defend herself.

Family members frantically tried to get help from neighbours who heard them screaming in the garden: "He's killed her, they are both dead."

At Elaine's inquest which started in Truro yesterday, home office pathologist Deborah Cook, who carried out a post mortem, outlined the enormous scale of injuries he inflicted.

They included 47 injuries inflicted by a knife, including 20 to the neck, 18 to the chest with six of these in the back, two to the left arm, four to the right hand and three to the head.

Neighbours told the inquest Mr Harman was 'controlling' and Elaine had made plans to leave him after he was arrested for an assault on 4 August 2021.

But after one night in custody he was released but later he breached his bail conditions by turning up at the home in Polperro.

Describing the events that unfolded, one neighbour, Gemma Taylor, said: "I could hear screaming and thought something had happened.

"(Someone) said 'he's killing her'. They then said to me words to the effect of 'he's killed her - they are both dead.'

Ms Taylor then went into the home and found Elaine and her husband on the floor in the kitchen.

She added: "There was a lot of blood present, it was hard to find places to put your feet not to disturb the scene."

She said as she was checking Elaine for signs of life, police showed up and she left the scene.

Another neighbour Laura Howard said that shortly before the killing, Elaine had told her she was trying to figure out how she could get a divorce.

She said: "She felt financially dependant on Neil and said he was really controlling.

"At times he had outbursts and banged his head on the kitchen counter.

"She said he was controlling and watches everything she does. She felt controlled in every aspect and did not know how to get out."

Recalling the tragedy, she added: "I heard my name being screamed. I realised it was coming from the back garden." She said family members who were present ran into her house and had blood on them and were very frantic.

She added: "They were screaming and running about and very anxious. I was trying to get police and paramedics there as quickly as I could."

Ms Howard said she couldn't get into the property but looked through the letterbox and could see both bodies inside.

The inquest also heard personal statements from members of Elaine's family about the impact the tragedy has had on them.

One family member who was present during the attack said: "She always encouraged us to do our best."

She said she would be "forever thankful for everything" and added: "We cherish the time we did have together.

But she added: "These events will effect the rest of my life.

"Our last memories were these horrific scenes. These have left me traumatised and struggling to rest

"They make their way into my dreams."

She said she didn't think she would ever be able to recover from what happened and added: "I continue to be disturbed by these past events every day."

Elaine's sister Tracey Lee said: "Ever since this happened our lives have been turned upside down. Unfortunately my brother and I lost mum in June when she was only 74. I believe the loss of her daughter was just too much."

She described Elaine as someone who loved socialising, watching live music and enjoyed the sea and fresh air of living and growing up in Cornwall.

"The pain we are all going through every day is excruciating. How can you ever get over something so traumatic?"

Tracey said she felt "guilty every single day" as Elaine had confided in her about the problems in her marriage.

She added: "I try my hardest to stay strong but some days that isn't too easy."

Pathologist Dr Deborah Cook said it was clear her injuries had been inflicted by a third party and gave the cause of death as stab wounds to the neck and chest.

In her conclusion she said: "Even if this incident had taken place outside the doors of a hospital Elaine could not have been saved.

"This was a sustained assault."

An earlier inquest ruled Neil Harman had died as a result of suicide having stabbed himself 33 times during the same incident.

The inquest into Mrs Harman's death continues.