A WOMAN who survived an murder attempt by a jealous boyfriend, braved threats to burn her and her young son alive, to give evidence against him.

A pathologist told Woolwich Crown Court Kelly Johnson “was as near to death as any case in which he had been involved” after her boyfriend, Mitchell Zelder, tried to strangle her.

Zelder, aged 29, from Grays, Essex, forced Miss Johnson to give evidence from behind a protective screen, after he denied attempted murder, witness intimidation, harrassment and perverting the course of justice.

During his nine-day trial in April, the court heard how, after his attack, Zelder abandoned Miss Johnson’s son, then aged four, leaving him alone overnight in her flat in Bosworth House, Erith, with his unconscious mother.

He stole her mobile phone and laptop and used the phone to send text messages to Miss Johnson’s mother and a friend to make it appear nothing was wrong.

When Miss Johnson’s mother visited her daughter the next day to pick up her grandson, she heard the little boy saying over the flat’s intercom “Mummy’s dead, nanny”.

Miss Johnson, who has moved away from the area, spent four days unconscious in intensive care and still has no memory of the attack.

She told News Shopper: “When I first came round, I had no idea who I was.

“I thought I was in hospital having a baby.”

MIss Johnson had been going out with Zelder for 18 months when he first became violent towards her during an argument in April last year.

She said: “As soon as he became violent, we split up.

“But my son thought of him as his daddy, so we still saw each other because he wanted to stay in touch with my son. ”

Miss Johnson said: “I soon realised he wasn’t really interested in my son, so I told him to go.”

On July 27 last year, Zelder turned up at her flat demanding to be allowed in.

She said: “He wanted to discuss getting back together, but I told him it would never work.

“He started to get aggressive, so I asked him to leave.”

He led her back into the flat and that is all she can remember.

In fact, her mother found her unconscious on the floor and called an ambulance.

When officers from Bexley police’s public protection group questioned her mother and friends, they realised the text messages Miss Johnson had “sent” on the night of the attack were bogus.

Zelder was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and released on bail.

Miss Johnson said: “He thought I was seeing someone else and said if he couldn’t have me, no one would.”

Then Zelder began to make threats against Miss Johnson, if she did not withdraw her statement.

She said: “He threatened to set fire to my flat with me and my son in it.”

At first, she asked police to drop the charges, but Zelder began using her laptop to set up false Facebook and email accounts in different names, continuing his threats.

One warned: “If you don’t get back with me, I’ll make sure I do the job right this time.”

Miss Johnson rang the police and told them everything.

Then she and her son fled to Southampton until Zelder was remanded in custody in December last year.

After being found guilty, Zelder was sentenced last Friday to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum of nine years.

He was cleared of perverting the course of justice.

Miss Johnson said: “If I could remember the attack, maybe I would feel more scared, although I do still look over my shoulder.

“My son does remember and it has affected him badly. He still has nightmares and wets the bed occasionally.

“But we are making a fresh start. I am not going to be affected by him anymore. ”