Telford murder suspect split victim's spleen with rake before getting neighbour to hide weapon, court hears
A Telford murder suspect beat his victim with a rake and then got his neighbour to hide the weapon under her shed, a court heard.
Ashley Harris, aged 32, is on trial over the killing of 41-year-old Anthony Wootton, who was found dead in a car park in Woodside, Telford following a brawl in the street.
Stafford Crown Court was told Mr Wootton sustained a "traumatic" blow which split his spleen into two pieces, and his abdominal cavity filled up with 2.5 litres of blood.
Medical experts predicted he would have been alive for about 30 to 90 minutes before collapsing, and would likely have been unaware he was dying.
The court was told that the drama unfolded at around 6pm on Sunday, July 16, last year in Armstrong Close - where Harris lived opposite Mr Wootton and his partner Carlene Garrett.
Giving an overview of the case, Darron Whitehead, prosecuting, said that Mr Wootton had assaulted Ms Garrett, giving her a black eye, strangulation injuries and bruises.
She went to Harris's home where Amy Smith, Harris's partner, gave her "refuge" and called the police.
The court heard that Harris said to Mr Wootton: "Look what you've done to her. Look at the ******* state of her," referring to Ms Garrett's injuries, and a brawl ensued.
The jury was told that while Ms Smith was tending to Ms Garrett's bloody nose, Harris went through and grabbed the rake before using it to hit Mr Wootton.
During the fight, Harris is said to have discarded the rake before wrestling with Mr Wootton, who then walked away.
A recording was played to the jury of Ms Smith's 999 call to police as the fight was ongoing. She could be heard screaming: "Ash, no! Ash, please! Please stop! ******* stop it!"
Mr Wootton was found dead the following morning at around 6.30am, slumped between two vehicles in the Orient Court car park, off Gresley Close - yards away from Armstrong Close.
Police had attended Armstrong Close the evening before Wootton was found dead, in response to the call about him attacking his partner, Ms Garrett.
The jury was told that Harris "portrayed himself as the saviour, the hero" when he was interviewed by police, and that he failed to tell officers about the rake.
Officers went to interview Harris the following day, after Mr Wootton's body had been found.
Mr Whitehead said that 12 minutes of doorbell footage from Harris's house had disappeared after officers left, and made the assertion that Harris deleted it, using the time to take the rake to neighbour Julie Allie's house, so she could hide it under her shed.
It was Harris's partner, Ms Smith, who told the police about the rake. Mr Whitehead said she "challenged" Harris about the weapon, and was "put in an impossible position".
Toxicology tests carried out on Mr Wootton's body showed he had cocaine and methadone in his system, and that he was roughly twice the drink drive limit, however a pathologist's report said none of that contributed to his death.
Mr Wootton sustained a "tramline" injury which was 10cm long and 3cm wide. The pathologist's report said such an injury is one which would be sustained from an impact blow, and would not be sustained from a fall.
The cause of death given was abdominal injuries.
Harris, of Armstong Close, Telford, has pleaded not guilty to murder and an alternative count of manslaughter
The trial continues.
