A police sergeant has told how a man calmly confessed to the “brutal” murder of a woman in her home.

Suzanne Brown, 33, was found with 173 stab wounds to her body.

Sergeant Richard Ambrose and PC Daniel Parish told Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday Jake Neate, 37 was “calm” as he opened the door of Ms Brown’s home.

Sgt Ambrose said Neate was covered in blood as he entered the property shortly before 12.20am on Saturday December 16, 2017.

Police had been contacted with concerns for the welfare of the occupants.

Sgt Ambrose detained Neate as PC Parish entered a room to find Ms Brown on the floor.

He told the court: “I have never seen anything like it.

“When we got to the front door of the property, a voice behind the front door told us: ‘I hate to say, I have killed someone’. When he opened the door his right hand was covered in blood.

“Neate seemed quite calm, he was not raising his voice, he spoke quite evenly.”

Calls were made to paramedics and officers including PC David Orston who rushed with a defibrillator to the scene.

Ms Brown, 33, of Mountbatten Court, in Mountbatten Road, Braintree, was found with a stainless steel kitchen knife beside her.

It had a blade which was around eight inches long.

PC Orston said: “I worked on the victim and tried to ascertain what her injuries were.

“I said to Neate ‘What have you hit her round the head with?’

“He said a vase and I believe there was one just opposite a fridge near to her.”

Teams of paramedics arrived and worked for 20 minutes to save Ms Brown, however, she was pronounced dead at 1.09am.

Sgt Ambrose and PC Philip Balcombe travelled with Neate to Broomfield Hospital where he received treatment for some minor injuries.

It was during that time, PC Ambrose recalled Neate saying: “It was brutal what I did to her, her family are going to kill me.’

Allan Compton, prosecuting, showed body-cam footage taken inside the hospital by PC Balcombe that evening.

It was about five hours after the incident. Footage shown to the court did not show Neate but records him saying: “If this gets in the papers, can you make sure they say I’m sorry.”

The trial has begun at Chelmsford Crown Court despite Neate being considered unfit to plea to his charge of murdering Ms Brown.

He is currently in a psychiatric hospital and will not be attending the trial.

The trial continues.