A man who stabbed a mother to death said he could hear voices in his head and asked a taxi driver to pray for him following the attack, a court has heard.

Abid Mahmood, 34, of Cambridge Street, Werneth, killed his ex-partner Tamby Dowling at her home on Water Mill Avenue in Chadderton on November 8 last year.

He previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and at Manchester Crown Court today, Friday, his sentencing began with doctors also providing information about his mental health.

Jaime Hamilton QC, prosecuting, explained how Mahmood had taken a taxi from an address on Cambridge Street to Ms Dowling’s home on November 8.

When the taxi arrived, he got out and managed to enter the home, where he killed Ms Dowling by stabbing her eight times in her torso.

Mahmood then returned to the taxi, with the driver saying in a previous statement that he appeared “cool”.

He then told the taxi driver he could hear screaming voices in his head and asked the driver to pray for him.

Frida Hussain QC, defending, said Mahmood had a long history of mental health issues dating back to when he was aged 12, including being diagnosed with schizophrenic disorder.

Mahmood was said to believe Ms Dowling, who he had been separated from, was involved in relationships with his brother and best friend.

She also explained how when Mahmood returned home, he told his brother what he had done and asked him to take him to the police station, where he surrendered himself.

In her victim statement, Shelina Miah, a close friend of Ms Dowling, paid tribute to her friend by describing her as “beautiful” and “kind”, saying: “She could walk into a room and lift the mood before she even spoke.”

She added that the killing by Mahmood was “nothing but pure, calculated evil”.

Ms Dowling’s sister Stacey Hawley also provided a victim statement, describing her sister as a “lovely, kind and caring person” who had a “heart of gold”.

Ms Dowling’s parents Mary Dowling and Keith Hawley, stepfather Graham Marsh and stepmother Diane Pleavin described her in a previous tribute as a “very good mother, brilliant daughter, and friend to everyone who knew her”.

Following the death of Ms Dowling, who was 36 when she was killed, a GoFundMe page was set up, which raised more than £21,000.

Judge Conrad QC said the sentencing would continue next week.