A talented riding instructor was driven off the road by her obsessive former fiance and shot through the head after a long campaign against her in which he threatened to break her legs and blind her, a court heard today.

Mark Dyche, 36, ambushed Tania Moore on a country lane in Derbyshire and followed her several miles before crashing into her car and killing her, a jury was told. He smashed the driver’s window and shot her at point blank range in the face after months of watching her, threatening her and stealing from her, a court heard.

Dyche, of Thurvaston Road, Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire, denies murder and conspiracy to rob his former girlfriend.

Peter Joyce QC, prosecuting, told a jury at Nottingham Crown Court that the murder was the end of a long campaign of obsession by Dyche. He said: "He had known Tania Moore for quite some time. He had gone out with Tania, he had got engaged to Tania, he had bought Tania gifts and then they broke up.

"Then the campaign started - possessive, jealous and obsessive. The murder was the finishing point. The starting point was that he used to watch her, he would threaten her, he would steal things from her. Then he had her robbed ... He wanted her hurting. He wanted her legs breaking ...He wanted to be in control."

The court heard that Dyche paid others to rob and assault Miss Moore in June, 2003 as part of his campaign against her. He borrowed £2,000 from his new girlfriend, Helen Smith, and told the men he wanted them to steal a watch which he had given Miss Moore as a gift and her mobile phone.

After the robbery, the victim gave a statement to police in which she said she felt frightened and vulnerable and feared for her safety. Her words were read to the court today and she stated: "The incident has left me feeling frightened and extremely vulnerable. I no longer feel safe in my own home. I wish the people responsible to be held responsible for their actions." She said she received bruising and swelling to her head face and legs in the unprovoked attack at her home and riding stables in Alkmonton, Derbyshire.

Three men, Craig Stonier, 41, John Booth, 23 and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, all from Stoke on Trent, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob Miss Moore between February and June, 2003. A fourth man, Jason Bloor, 32, of Kendrick Street, Longton, Stoke, denies the same offence and is standing trial alongside Dyche. Mr Joyce said he was the quartermaster and arranged the robbery at the request of Dyche.

Mr Joyce said Dyche and another man, Colin Colley, dressed in paper suits on the night of the murder and waited in a country lane until Miss Moore finished a riding lesson. They followed her to Long Lane in Longford, less than a mile from her home and Dyche drove her off the road, the court heard. He then allegedly got out of the car, smashed the window and fired the weapon.

Mr Joyce added: "Having disabled her car, Mr Dyche then got out and shot her having broken her driver’s side window while she was captive sitting in her car."

The jury heard that Dyche’s new girlfriend, Helen Smith, originally gave him an alibi, but would now give evidence to say she had picked him up after the murder on March 29 last year. Dyche claims that Colin Colley shot the young horsewoman to his surprise after he told him just to frighten or alarm Miss Moore.

The jury was told Colley has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm

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