"He recognised that it was something uncomfortable for her. It was something in which he found great solace and was soothing," Green told the court on Thursday.

"He had been doing his best to reduce the amount he was doing it."

Green said Parsons became increasingly unhappy and had made "ultimatums", causing Deakin-White great distress.

"He'd become so anxious that she was planning to leave him that he read her diary and followed her to see the nature of the relationship [with Saunders]," he said.

The court heard Parsons, from Melbourne, had made derogatory comments about Deakin-White, telling him Saunders was "more of a man" than he was.

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On the evening of the attack, Parsons told him that she would be spending the night with  Saunders.

Green said Deakin-White had interpreted this as a termination of their relationship.

"He started feeling very upset and that this was the end. He followed her, pleading with her to not leave him.

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"In an attempt to elicit sympathy, he told her that he would commit suicide, to which she replied, 'I wouldn't even come to your funeral'.

"He lost it and hit her with the bar."

The defence for Deakin-White said he suffered from a loss of control during the attack, caused by a previous diagnosis of autism.

But Green said in his opinion, Deakin-White did not qualify for such a diagnosis.

"He is an 'avoidant dependent', he has a fear of abandonment. He will work very hard to avoid being abandoned, more than most people, maybe.

"He does not qualify for formal diagnosis of ASD. He has a negative, pessimistic view of the world.

"There was nothing significant or grossly strange, he was a little shy but that's not unusual. There was nothing that caused me any great concern."

Deakin-White denies one count of murder.

The trial continues.

PA

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