A welder “savagely” beat his ex-girlfriend to death after she told him she had slept with another man, a court has heard.
The body of Natasha Bradbury, 27, was found in her home in Haverfordwest , in February,Swansea Crown Court was told on Wednesday.
Jurors heard the two-bedroomed terraced flat had been “smashed up” and blood stains were found on sinks, banisters and walls.
Two days before her death, Miss Bradbury’s former partner Luke George Jones, 33, had sent her scores of messages asking her to speak to him, the jury heard.
Jones, of Hakin, Milford Haven , denies murder.
'Extensive' injuries
Prosecuting counsel Paul Lewis QC described mother-of-one Miss Bradbury’s injuries as “extensive”.
He said: “Miss Bradbury was subjected to a savage attack in her own home.
“In the course of the attack, the defendant inflicted widespread and fatal injuries that included extensive blunt-force trauma to her head and chest. He caused her fractures to her ribs and broke a bone in her neck.
“In principle, he beat Miss Bradbury to her death.
“The motive for his violence? It appears to have been jealousy and his possessiveness of the deceased.”
The court heard that Miss Bradbury and Jones had been in an on-off relationship for around three years.
Mr Lewis said the couple began arguing on February 18 after Miss Bradbury said she was going to stay at a female friend’s house rather than spend the night with Jones.
Jurors were shown several WhatsApp messages sent by the defendant, which included, “You’ve broken my heart”, and, “Here I am again lonely”.
The following day, Miss Bradbury messaged Jones and said their relationship had ended. He later replied: “If you’ve lost interest in me you must be interested in someone else.”
'I've slept with someone last night'
Miss Bradbury also received 28 missed calls from the defendant’s phone between 4am and 5am on February 20.
Speaking of the messages, calls and posts via social media, Mr Lewis said: “At times he is expressing his love, other times distress. You may think he was trying to assert emotional pressure on her.”
Miss Bradbury messaged Jones the following morning and said: “Look, I’m sorry, I’ve slept with someone last night.”
Mr Lewis said neighbours of Miss Bradbury heard what sounded like her flat being “smashed up” at around 11.30pm on February 22.
Mr Lewis said one resident heard a man aggressively shouting before everything went quiet at around 2am.
Jones made a 999 call at 2.48am. Mr Lewis claimed the defendant sounded “calm and detached”.
Mr Lewis said: “He immediately suggested that Natasha Bradbury was responsible for the damage (in the flat) and she had fallen over before he woke up to find her not breathing.
“He largely answered no questions when later interviewed by the police – but did provide prepared statements in which he said he had used no violence at all.
“We submit the details he provided to the police were a pack of lies.
“It was intended by him to avoid the consequences of what he did to Miss Bradbury.”
Anger management courses
As well as being played the 999 call, jurors were also shown several photographs of the inside of Miss Bradbury’s flat in High Street.
Mr Lewis said damage inside the flat included a smashed TV, broken glass on the top floor where Miss Bradbury’s body was found, as well as blood stains on bedding.
He added that before the alleged murder, Jones had spoken to a GP about attending anger management classes.
Jurors were also told Miss Bradbury had spoken to a friend about Jones “smashing my stuff” on a prior occasion.
The case continues.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-battered-ex-girlfriend-death-11824772
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