Mum-of-six 'beaten to death by wanted man on the run' while walking her dog

Metro

a day ago

A dog walker was beaten to death by a fugitive who was living off-grid in the countryside, a court has heard.
Anita Rose, 57, is said to have encountered Roy Barclay, 56, after setting off from her home in Brantham, Suffolk, with her dog Bruce early on July 24 last year.
Jurors at Ipswich Crown Court heard she was subject to a 'vicious and brutal attack with numerous kicks, stamps and blows being delivered to her face, head and body'.
She was found by passers-by with Bruce's lead wrapped tightly around her leg, the court heard, and she died four days later at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
Christopher Paxton KC, prosecuting, told the court 'no eyewitnesses saw the incident'.
But he said the pink jacket Anita was wearing on the day she was attacked was found at one of Barclay's makeshift camps.
'You will hear that Roy Barclay had no fixed address and lived mostly in the countryside, wandering the fields and lanes, sleeping in various makeshift camps,' he added.
'He lived off-grid because for two years, Roy Barclay had been unlawfully at large.
'He had been on the run trying to avoid the police and authorities to try and avoid being recalled back to prison.'
Mr Paxton said Barclay, who denies murder, kept the jacket 'as a trophy' and it had Barclay's 'semen on the neckline'.
He said Barclay's walking boots – which 'amounted to the murder weapon' – were found at the same camp.
There is 'support for the conclusion that the marks on Anita's face were made by these boots', the barrister added.
He said Ms Rose's phone case was also found there, and her Samsung earbuds were located at a different makeshift camp Barclay had used.
Mr Paxton said Barclay 'carries dog biscuits with him and is a dog lover'.
He said Barclay tied the dog lead around Ms Rose's leg 'we say to stop Bruce (the dog) running off'.
Jurors heard Barclay made various internet searches after the attack, including 'how are outside objects swabbed for DNA' and 'can barbed wire be swabbed for DNA'. More Trending
The prosecutor described Barclay as 'cunning and resourceful'.
The defendant, who wore glasses, a grey prison-issue tracksuit and has a grey beard and long, thinning grey hair, listened to proceedings from the secure dock of the court.
Relatives of Ms Rose listened from the public gallery.
The trial, which is due to last eight weeks, continues.
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