BARRY Stone held ex-girlfriend Nicola Sutton hostage and threatened her with a samurai sword in the hours before killing her, a court has heard.

Nicola, aged 22, was with Stone and friends in September 2006 at another friend’s flat.

An inquest into her death at Warrington Coroner’s Court heard this morning that Stone ‘went mad’ after believing Nicola has slept with other men while he was serving a jail sentence for an attack on her.

He held the whole group hostage, making them sit on their hands and confiscating their phones.

The court heard he waved the sword in their faces and then self harmed.

According to Alistair Williamson, whose flat they were in, he hit himself in the head around 50 times in the hours before the attack.

He also threatened to cut off his own fingers but when he couldn’t do it, it made him even angrier.

The hearing continues.

Click here to go to our special news section on the inquest.