Brighton wife killed husband with samurai sword, court told
Prosecution barrister Charlotte Newell KC said: "Whatever the cause for attacking Andrew, the sheer number and the nature of the wounds inflicted could not have been a reasonable use of force."The barrister told the court Ms Rowland-Stuart had owned the samurai sword used in the attack for decades.In the months before Mr Rowland-Stuart's death, his wife had also searched on the internet for Japanese swords, the court heard.The couple, who met in 2001, lived together on the 15th floor of the tower block in Brighton.Neighbours told police that they were a "normal couple" and that they had never heard arguing coming from their flat.
Messages between the couple were also "generally polite and affectionate towards each other", Ms Newell said.The jury was told that shortly after 19:20 on the day of the incident, Ms Rowland-Stuart was seen on a doorbell camera, stripped down to her pants with blood visible on her legs and stomach. Ms Rowland-Stuart knocked on two neighbours' doors and when one was answered she shouted "help" and "Andy's dead", Ms Newell said.She added that while on the phone to 999, Ms Rowland-Stuart said: "My husband Andrew has tried to kill me with a samurai sword and in the scuffle I managed to turn the sword towards him and he has fallen on the sword."
The court heard that when police arrived at the flat they saw blood on the walls, cabinet, sofa and in the shower.Mr Rowland-Stuart's hands, arms and torso were cut and he had injuries to his back and the back of his head, the jury was told.The sword, which was used to inflict all but one of the injures, had been placed in a sheath and back on its stand, the court heard.The remaining injury could have been cause by a letter opener, Ms Newell said.
The jury heard that Ms Rowland-Stuart, who told police she tried to push the sword out of her husband's hands, had injuries to her hands that were consistent with holding a weapon.Ms Rowland-Stuart was ruled unfit to plead by Judge Christine Laing KC earlier on Monday, so did not take part in the trial.The jury was told that because of this they were deciding whether or not Ms Rowland-Stuart unlawfully killed her husband.The trial continues.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
UK condemns Hong Kong cash offer for help in arresting activists
The UK has condemned the latest cash offer from Hong Kong authorities for people who help in the arrest of pro-democracy activists living in Britain. In a joint statement, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the move as "another example of transnational repression".People are being offered between $25,000 (HK$200,000) and $125,000 for information leading to the arrest of 19 individuals, all of whom are pro-democracy activists living abroad. China has denounced as "interference" criticism over this type of appeal, which it has made three times previously. The 19 people are accused of violating Beijing's national security law imposed in 2020 in response to the 2019 anti-government protests that rocked the city for amounts on offer vary depending on the individual. Among the highest offers on the list are those for Choi Ming-da and Fok Ka-chi, who Hong Kong police said operated a social media channel named "Tuesdayroad". Politician Nathan Law – who had been a lawmaker on the Legislative Council of Hong Kong – and activist and commentator Yuan Gong-Yi also appear on the lists. The first such rewards were issued in July and December 2023. They targeted Nathan Law - who told the BBC that his life became more dangerous after a bounty was announced - and Simon Cheng, a former UK consulate employee detained in 2019 in a high-profile case. The third series of rewards targeted six pro-democracy activists living in the UK and Canada, including Tony Chung, the former leader of a pro-independence group. A special visa scheme introduced in 2021 saw around 150,000 Hong Kong residents move to the UK, according to the Home Office. In November last year a Hong Kong court sentenced dozens of pro-democracy leaders to years in jail for subversion, following a controversial national security their statement in response to the latest bounty, Ms Cooper and Mr Lammy said "this government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong, including those who have made the UK their home. We take the protection of their rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously."Their joint statement added: "The UK is committed to human rights, the rule of law, and the safety of all individuals in the UK. That's why we have taken further steps to complete the severing of ties between the UK and Hong Kong extradition systems by removing Hong Kong from the Extradition Act 2003."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Kaylee Goncalves' sister describes what was like to face killer Bryan Kohberger: 'He is not human'
The sister of Kaylee Goncalves, who was murdered by Bryan Kohberger, has recounted the chilling moment she came eye-to-eye with her sibling's killer. Alivea Goncalves delivered a fiery and unwavering victim impact statement during Kohberger's sentencing in Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday, directly confronting the quadruple murderer and commanding him to 'sit up straight when I talk to you.' In an interview released Friday with NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin, Alivea recounted the moments leading up to her powerful courtroom statement, delivered in the harrowing presence of her sister's killer. She explained that no words could truly convey the reality of standing just feet from him - and the only way she could describe it was: 'He is not human.' 'When I tell you... there is not a human there,' she said during the interview. 'I'm not scared of this individual, I'm not intimidated by him - truly I'm not,' she added. 'But when I tell you there is... a primal sense of alarms. My body was telling me, "Run. Get out. This is a threat. This is not a human capacity."' Alivea has since been widely praised on social media for her powerful victim impact statement, where she spoke with unwavering confidence - directly confronting Kohberger and boldly calling out his failures. While speaking with Entin, she explained that although she initially felt confident in her words, once inside the courtroom, the overwhelming emotions made her fear that her statement might not fully do justice to the victims and their families. It wasn't until her father, Steve Goncalves - known for his outspoken presence since the murders - boldly turned the podium toward the defendant, despite warnings not to, that the atmosphere in the courtroom 'shifted.' As she sat in the pews, making last-minute tweaks and notes to her statement while listening to others deliver their emotional speeches, she steeled herself to deliver hers - determined to say everything she had been planning. 'My speech wasn't to Kaylee and Maddie - it was for them,' she said during the interview. 'If Kaylee and Maddie had been here today, it would have been something that I feel like would have rung true to them.' Her goal, she explained, was to hold eye contact with him for as long as she could - but as she stared into his eyes, every instinct in her told her she wasn't looking at a human being. 'The best description I can give you is, like, if I had come face-to-face with an alien,' she described. 'Because, back behind there, there's no human being - there's no humanity.' Alivea recalled seeing 'raw anger' and 'raw rage' in Kohberger's eyes as she confronted him, but despite the intensity, her focus remained steadfast - seeking justice for her sister Kaylee and Madison. 'I could feel that specific stare the entire time. It was unrelenting,' she explained. 'All I remember feeling is, "This guy's pissed,"' she added. 'This is anger I've never experienced firsthand before.' 'I was ready to stand on business. There was nothing that was going to make me back down from that moment. All I felt was rage, almost from the very beginning.' During Alivea's blistering impact statement on Wednesday, she said: 'I wont stand her and give you what you want. I wont give you tears instead. I will call you what you are: sociopath, psychopath, murderer.' 'The truth is you're basic. You're a textbook case as insecurity disguised as control. You spent months preparing and still all it took was my sister and a sheath,' she added. 'You're as dumb as they come. Stupid, dumb, weak, dirty', Alivea continued, before she then hit him with the very same questions that Kohberger posed in a survey on Reddit as part of his criminology degree at DeSales University. She went on to blast Kohberger's past and all his failings, including unanswered questions in the Idaho murder case. Alivea told Kohberger he was a 'delusional, pathetic, hypochondriadic loser' who 'thought you were so much better than everyone else.' In a damning conclusion, she added: 'If you hadn't attacked them in your sleep like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f****** ass.' The courtroom erupted in clapping at the end of Alivea's statement. Koberger remained emotionless throughout. 'My whole purpose of that speech was taking back this power and giving it back to Kaylee and Maddie. Xana and Ethan as well. I wanted to give them the hero moment that I truly feel like they deserve,' she told Entin regarding her statement. 'For me, it was about taking back that control from him… getting under his skin, as best as I psychologically could with my limited understanding of what he is,' she added. 'It was all genuine. It was all incredibly true. Everything I did say was accurate to who he is and who they were.' In the closing moments of her interview, filmed less than 24 hours after the sentencing, Alivea told Entin with conviction, 'I truly believe Kaylee would've kicked his ass.' Kohberger, a 30-year-old PhD candidate, declined to speak at the hearing as he was told he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars without parole.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trump news at a glance: president dismisses continued Epstein and Maxwell furore as ‘not a big thing'
Donald Trump continued to face questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein as he landed in Scotland ahead of meeting British prime minister Keir Starmer and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. The US president denied reports that he was briefed about his name appearing in the Epstein files after landing on Friday evening local time. He was also asked about the justice department's questioning of Ghislaine Maxwell and suggestions he might offer her clemency. Trump: 'I don't know anything about the conversation, I haven't really been following it.' 'A lot of people have been asking me about pardons [for Maxwell]. Obviously, this is no time to be talking about pardons' he went on. 'You're making a very big thing over something that's not a big thing.' Here are the key US politics stories today: The furore over Donald Trump's ties with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continued on Friday as new revelations about the pair's relationship threatened to mire the president's golfing trip to Scotland, where he arrived late on Friday. After landing at Glasgow Prestwick airport at about 8.30pm local time, the US president denied reports that he had been briefed about his name appearing in files pertaining to the case against the late Epstein. He also said he had not 'really been following' the justice department's interview with Epstein's convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Read the full story The EU appears to be on the verge of signing a trade deal with Donald Trump after the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced she would meet the US president on Sunday during his four-day trip to Scotland. Trump landed in Scotland on Friday evening before the opening of his new golf course in Aberdeenshire. He said he was also planning to meet the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, on Saturday. Read the full story The deputy US attorney general, Todd Blanche, held a second in-person meeting on Friday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and longtime associate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche had confirmed the two met behind closed doors in Tallahassee, Florida, on Thursday, at the federal prosecutor's office within the federal courthouse in the state capital, and they met again on Friday. Read the full story Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio was driving to his landscaping job with his mother and two male friends when they were pulled over by the Florida highway patrol. In one swift moment, a traffic stop turned into a violent arrest. Video of the incident captured by Laynez-Ambrosio, an 18-year-old US citizen, appears to show a group of officers in tactical gear working together to violently detain the three men. The video has put fresh scrutiny on the harsh tactics used by US law enforcement officials as the Trump administration sets ambitious enforcement targets to detain thousands of immigrants every day. Read the full story The White House has announced that it will release $5.5bn in frozen education funds back to US states. That announcement came on Friday after Donald Trump's administration decided to abruptly withhold the congressionally approved funds a day before their 1 July release for the 2025-26 school year. South Park co-creator Trey Parker had the briefest response to anger from the White House over this season's premiere, which showed a naked Trump in bed with Satan. Two high-ranking officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were placed on administrative leave on Friday, fueling speculation that the Trump administration was retaliating against them for actions taken during the president's first term. Catching up? Here's what happened on 24 July 2025.
