A mother-of-two was stabbed to death by her estranged husband in a frenzied attack at the back of a Mitcham clothing store, a court heard.

Call centre worker Thaker Ramanlal, 48, followed Varsha Champaclal, 43, into a staff area in Peacocks, Fair Green, before stabbing her through to the bone in her neck and chest, the Old Bailey jury was told.

Ms Champaclal, an assistant manager at the store, was pronounced dead at the scene by an air ambulance doctor shortly after the attack on Friday, February 13 this year.

On Tuesday the jury was shown CCTV footage of Mr Ramanlal stalking his wife in the store for more than half an hour - hiding behind racks of clothing before springing into the attack.

Prosecutor Peter Finnegan QC said she received two deep wounds to her throat and four to the back of her chest - any of which would have been fatal injuries on their own.

Further footage showed Mr Ramanlal escaping through a fire exit before a colleague of Ms Champaclal found her body lying on the floor of a staff corridor.

Two 999 calls made by the defendant the next day were also played to the court, in which he admitted killing his wife and sobbed to the operator: “The police are looking for me for the murder of my wife. I want to see my daughter. Please, I want to talk to my daughter”.

After the call, police quickly arrived at Mr Ramanlal’s home in Grand Drive, Raynes Park, where they found him bleeding on his bed having slashed his hand and wrist.

A knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was found in the flat along with receipts for its purchase from Sainsbury’s in Worpole Road, Wimbledon, on the morning of the attack, and a jacket containing traces of his wife’s blood.

The court heard how officer PC Alford told Mr Ramanlal he was being arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, to which he replied: “It’s not suspicion”.

Mr Finnegan told the jury how when interviewed by police, the defendant claimed he was provoked into the attack after social services refused to allow access to his daughter.

He added: “I was always there for my wife but she has provoked me in every way she could.”

Mr Ramanlal denies murder but admits manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The trial continues.