A LEE asylum seeker murdered his 21-year-old wife by slitting her throat after she wanted a divorce, a court heard.

Orina Morawiec was found dead in a bikini with stab wounds to her neck and chest in the flat she shared with her husband in Eastdown Park on August 14 last year.

Farhad Safi, 23, an Afghan national, appeared at the Old Bailey today (February 18) charged with his wife's murder.

The jury heard how the couple met at Lewisham College, where Orina had studied tourism and administration.

The court heard Safi was "controlling", made his wife wear a headscarf and did not let her meet her friends or wear makeup.

Prosecuting, Zoe Johnson, told the court: "It appears the defendant was a possessive and controlling man."

She added: "As the relationship developed, it became clear it was a volatile one.

“The defendant would become angry if Orina saw her friends."

She went on to say neighbours sometimes heard the couple arguing and Orina screaming and that in 2010 Safi was arrested for assaulting her.

Orina's body was discovered after she did not turn up to meet her mother Anna Morwawiec, who she had arranged to go swimming with at 1pm.

She was found with a pair of knickers, jeans and a cushion over her head and a bloodied knife was found in the kitchen with bloodstains throughout the apartment.

CCTV showed Safi leaving the flat at around 12.15pm when he took a taxi to Dover and did not pay the £100 fare, Ms Johnson told the court.

He was arrested on August 15 last year after being found on the A20 carriageway between Ashford and Dover and claimed he had been abandoned by friends.

He denies murder and claims a Peckham gang killed his wife and framed him.

The trial continues.