A woman stabbed to death by her jealous boyfriend confided in her colleagues about his aggressive behaviour - but refused to go to the police because she "did not want to get him into trouble", a court heard.

Pawel Sroka, 33, knifed Joanna Trojniak at least six times at their house in Meadvale Road, Addiscombe, before stabbing himself in the chest and calling 999, the Old Bailey was told.

A week earlier, Ms Trojniak had told her manager at Nando's in Collliers Wood she wanted a job transfer to "somewhere where nobody knew where she was" to get away from Sroka, the jury heard this afternoon.

When Carlos Mendez asked why she did not just leave her "aggressive and overpowering" boyfriend, he told the court, Ms Trojniak replied: "Are you crazy? He will kill me."

Giving evidence today, Mr Mendez added: "I remember it as if it was yesterday, exactly those words, and the look in the face of fear."

Ms Trojniak, who friends in court today described as "sensitive", "shy" and "very loving", was found lying in the foetal position in her living room suffering knife wounds to her hands face, chest and hand on the evening of March 23 this year.

Sroka has admitted manslaughter but denies murder on the grounds of a loss of control.

Officers arrested him at about 10.30pm on March 23 after finding him bleeding in the driver's seat of his Vauxhaull Vectra in nearby Gordon Crescent, having soiled himself.

In court today Mr Mendez said he had asked Ms Trojniak for an informal meeting a week before she died to talk about her future plans, at which she broke down and revealed her problems with Sroka and fear of leaving the relationship.

After asking him about a transfer to a different branch of Nando's, he told Ms Trojniak "if that's what you want that can be arranged quickly as well, but if it's that bad why don't you go to the police?

"And she said, she didn't want to get her boyfriend in trouble.

"She was a very loving individual, very caring for others."

Another former colleague, Flavia Paes-Borreto, said: "She was very calm, very friendly. She didn't like to get in trouble, she used to keep control of things.

"Usually we work in a stressed environment...but I never see her screaming at anybody or talking back at anybody."

Friends had previously told the court about hearing of arguments between Ms Trojniak and Sroka over money and his cannabis use.

A former colleague at Nando's in Streatham, Lucy Mara, said Ms Trojniak had revealed her problems with Sroka to her as early as 2014.

Ms Mara said: "When she spoke to me she said she wanted to save enough money and she wanted to go and she wanted to make sure he wouldn't find her where she was going to be."

On one occasion in February 2015, Ms Mara said Ms Trojniak had arrived at work crying and with bruises on her arm, but refused to reveal how she had been hurt.

A week later, on Valentine's Day, Sroka had come into the restaurant with flowers and balloons for Ms Trojniak, which made her "very happy", Ms Mara said.

She added: "Deep inside she loved him, and she told me 'I love him and I don't know what else to do to help him'.

"But at the same time, I remember her saying she was scared of him."

The trial continues.