'I'm armed and dangerous': What army veteran with PTSD, 41, 'told 999 operator after

Simonne Kerr had dedicated her life to raising awareness of sickle cell anaemia after the death of her son Kavele, six (pictured)

Recordings from a 999 call have revealed that an army veteran who stabbed his nurse girlfriend more than 70 times told operators he was 'armed and dangerous'.

Desmond Sylva 'butchered' Simonne Kerr, 31, with an 8in (20cm) kitchen knife, slashing her throat and stabbing her in the face at his flat in Clapham, south London.

A recording of his 999 phone call was played in court.

He said: 'Can I have police please? I've just committed a murder.

'I'm ex-Army and I've got lots of mental health issues.'

Asked why he had done it, he said: 'She's just get on my nerves, man, trying to fight me and take my money so I had to defend myself.'

Armed officers were deployed after Sylva told the operator he was 'armed and dangerous' with a gun and knife, before correcting himself by saying he only had a blade.

Sylva, who completed two tours in Iraq and one in Kosovo, had been admitted to hospital the previous evening after making threats to kill himself or someone else, jurors at the Old Bailey were told.

The 41-year-old Jamaica-born defendant has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, claiming his depression impaired his mental function.

However, the prosecution allege that he attacked NHS nurse Ms Kerr, who worked at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, simply because he 'lost his temper'.

Ms Kerr appeared on the Britain's Got Talent with the B Positive Choir, which was made up of NHS doctors and nurses, and made it to the finals in the 2018 series as a Wild Card entry.

All the members of the group had either donated blood, received it or have suffered with blood related conditions.

She had dedicated her life to raising awareness of sickle cell anaemia after the death of her six-year-old son Kavele in 2015.

The court heard Sylva had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Simonne Kerr (circled) appeared on the ITV talent show with the B Positive Choir

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My view: This is plain evil, someone with uncontrollable temper/rage, using his mental health issues as an excuse for his heinous crime, his head was very clear after butchering his girlfriend, that he called 999, to tell them about the brutal murder and he immediately said 'I'm ex-Army and I've got lots of mental health issues', if this is not premeditated, I wonder what is?. I don't think the brutal murder was about his money, it maybe be a jealous rage that has been building up and he had made up his mind to do something

drastic about the situation. It's so sad, she was knifed 70 times after slashing her throat.