An electrician accused of murdering his girlfriend over her Facebook password has claimed he accessed her account to give himself extra lives in the game Candy Crush.

Kane Boyce, 34, allegedly punched and kicked to death 20-year-old Paula Newman to death, stamping on her head when she stopped him from reading her online messages in New Addington, in November 2013.

"Violent and controlling" Boyce was "obsessed" with looking at her Facebook account because he suspected she was cheating on him, prosecutors claim.

From February 2: 'Violent and controlling' boyfriend Kane Boyce 'beat lover Paula Newman to death over Facebook password'

But giving evidence at the Old Bailey on Monday, Boyce claimed the couple logged into each other's Facebook accounts to "give each other lives" on Candy Crush.

He said: "You get four lives an hour or something. I went on her phone to send myself a life so I could carry on playing."

Boyce said while he was on her account he noticed she had been sending messages to an ex-boyfriend.

He told the court: "I felt quite sad and upset that I was described as an arsehole."

Boyce admitted taking a screenshot of the messages and posting it on his own Facebook account, as well as using Miss Newman's account to send messages to her ex-boyfriend.

He said: "I just wanted people to see she wasn't as quiet as people thought, there was another side to her.

"She had basically told me he was the one who was pursuing her so I sent these messages to get a reply."

In the early hours of November 12, Boyce claimed Miss Newman jumped out of his moving car in Elmside, Fieldway, adding: "I was asking for her Facebook password and she wouldn't give it to me."

He admitting pushing her over during an argument in the street after Miss Newman accused him of sleeping with "a tart" as they drove from their home in Beckenham to New Addington.
 
"Paula was shouting at me to stop the car. I just carried on," he said.

"She started lunging at me to grab the wheel. I felt a blow to my face. In order to get her off me I struck out with my hand."
 
He said the argument continued after he stopped the car near some garages.
 
"She was still saying I was sleeping with that tart. I said the only reasons she is saying that is because she has been talking to people on Facebook as well."
 
He claims she was using his phone to log onto her emails and that he told her: "Log on or give me back my phone."
  
He said: "She tried pushing past me. I pushed her quite hard and she stumbled back and she banged herself on the side of the garages.
 
"It was just like she fainted. She fell over. I wasn't expecting her to fall into the garages. I didn't intend for any of it. I helped her up and took her back to the car."

Boyce took Miss Newman to a friend's house in Dunsfold Way, New Addington, where her condition deteriorated. She died the next day of severe brain damage.

Boyce admitted he had convictions for assault and harassment against a former partner but added: "I was quite young and immature."

Boyce, who had dated Miss Newman for seven months, said: "I did love her. It was hard but I loved her and I think she loved me as well."

Asked about the abusive messages they sent to each other, he replied: "We used to watch box sets of Shameless, our language did come from there. It wasn't always like that."

Boyce admits manslaughter but denies murder. The trial continues.