Alleged murder victim Sasha Jones tried to drown herself in the River Teifi at Cardigan after claiming she had been raped, a jury heard today.

She was seen hanging from a bridge over the river and pulled to safety by her elder brother Cade.

Sasha, aged 17, went on to take an overdose of tablets, said her mother Jane Jones.

Sasha's father Gary John Fisher, aged 48, is on trial at Swansea crown court accused of stabbing her to death as she sat in the passenger seat of his Ford Fiesta in the car park of the Angel Hotel, Cardigan.

Fisher is alleged to have said afterwards that he had wanted to "end her pain."

A fresh jury had to be sworn in this morning and the case restarted after a member of the original jury was taken ill overnight.

Miss Jones told the court she had three children by Fisher but their relationship had ended. By August 2nd last year she was living in Golwg y Castell, Cardigan, and Fisher in Solihull in Birmingham.

Sasha had recontacted her father sometime before and by the summer of 2009 he was a regular visitor to west Wales.

Miss Jones said by 2006 she had got to know that Sasha had been raped by a local man in his car. She said the police were called in but Sasha could not bring herself to make a formal statement.

Sasha then made two bids to kill herself; once by throwing herself into the River Teifi and then by taking an overdose.

Miss Jones said Sasha received counselling and was diagnosed as having post traumatic stress. The overdose incident, she added, was seen as more a cry for help.

Miss Jones added, "I felt she was upset by it (the rape). She was in fear of the man and she was also in fear of her father."

Elwen Evans QC, representing Fisher, said, "I'm not accepting that."

Chris Clee QC, prosecuting, had earlier told the jury how Fisher took the children out for day trips and began to offer Sasha amphetamine, which she took.

In the early hours of August 2nd he "became keen" to take them out again. But the two youngest children pretended to be asleep and only Sasha got into his Ford Fiesta.

On the night of August 3rd police stopped Fisher's car using a stinger device. Sasha was found dead in the passenger seat.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.