THE Whitehaven woman allegedly murdered by her “controlling partner” told police she was “frightened of him” a month before she died.

At Carlisle Crown Court, a jury was shown police bodycam footage of an encounter with Tiffany Render on February 26, when officers found her outside Irwin's flat with a bag of her belongings.

Police had earlier received a call from 50-year-old Paul Irwin, who asked for Miss Render to be removed from the flat.

One of the officers sent to the flat in George Street, Whitehaven, shortly after 7am, said it was a frosty morning when they found Miss Render, wearing a onesie and standing beside a covered entrance to the flats.

She was upset.

“It was clear to me that she was very upset,” said the officer. She said that Irwin controlled her finances. The officer’s colleague spent a considerable time, he said, attempting to organise emergency accommodation for Miss Render.

The second officer who went to the scene interviewed Miss Render in the patrol car, beginning by asking her: “Are you frightened?” She replied that she was. Asked what she was frightened of, she replied: “Him hurting me again.”

She said she felt isolated.

She had tried to end the relationship several times, she said. Miss Render said Irwin was becoming "more aggressive" and tried to control "everything" she did and her finances. She said he threatened to kill her and she believed him.

At one point, the officer told her: “You need to resolve the situation; I have seen it all too many times.”

The court then heard the statement Miss Render made after the police became involved, arresting Irwin on suspicion of assault – by kicking her – and on suspicion of subjecting her to controlling and coercive behaviour.

She began by stating that she felt Irwin had “full control” of her life.

“He has been in control of my bank cards since he came out of prison in October 2023.” If she wanted to use it, he asked her what it was for, and he checked her account.

“If I go to the shops, I must tell him exactly what I have gone out for," she continued. "If I spend extra, he would verbally abuse me, swear and call me names.” He had refused to return her bank card, she said.

She said Irwin needed to know where she was constantly and if he did not know, he called her names. When she was out of the flat, he called or texted her constantly.

He also had full access to her phone and refused to let her take it to bed. “I tried to change the password, but he became extremely angry and verbally abusive,” she said.

Miss Render’s statement described Paul Irwin even controlling her diet, telling her what she could and could not eat. “When I ate a crisp out of a packet, he became extremely angry,” she wrote.

He made her cook all his food, waking her up to do so even when she was sleeping, she said.

The previous evening, the statement continued, Irwin consumed 18 cans of beer and used cocaine, becoming angry when she refused to immediately engage in sexual activity.

She had “removed herself” from the flat but when he found her outside after 4am, curled up next to a bag of her belongings, he had delivered a “full force” kick to her, making her cry.

“I believe that his controlling behaviour has got worse over the months, especially after he came out of prison,” she said. “These incidents are more frequent; it’s almost constantly like everything I do is wrong.”

She feared that the controlling behaviour would continue to worsen, to the point where he would frequently become “physically abusive” to her.

Irwin, of George Street, Whitehaven, denies murder and sexual assault.

The trial continues.