A "jealous" man killed his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend and their unborn baby in a "cowardly" attack in Thornton Heath last year, a court has heard.

Attendants at the trial of 26-year-old Aaron Mckenzie at the Old Bailey heard how he forced entry into the home of ex-girlfriend Kelly Fauvrelle's as she slept on the night of the attack almost precisely one year ago on June 29, 2019.

He proceeded to stab her 21 times, causing "catastrophic" injuries.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC described the attack during the ongoing trial:

"That intruder proceeded to launch a vicious and a cowardly attack upon her, inflicting a total of 21 stab wounds with a knife.

"In the process, the intruder murdered not only Kelly Fauvrelle, but through his attack upon Kelly he killed Riley, the unborn child she was carrying."

At the time of the killings Kelly, a Royal Mail worker aged 26, had been 33 weeks pregnant and "moving on" with her life after their relationship ended in early 2019.

Their son Riley was delivered by Caesarean section but died in hospital four days after Kelly was killed.

In the wake of the attack, McKenzie pretended to have nothing to do with it, the court heard.

He went to the hospital where medical staff were trying to save the life of his child, "posing as a victim", Penny said.

The defendant allegedly lied to police and did not tell them that he had spent over an hour before the killing accessing and reading his ex-partner's emails.

Penny said McKenzie continued to deceive police, hospital staff and the Fauvrelle family until he was arrested and "confessed".

McKenzie, from Peckham, south-east London, denies the murder of Kelly, the manslaughter of baby Riley and possessing a knife.