Blood in every room of couple's west London flat, court told

BBC News

13 hours ago

Traces of blood were found in every room of a couple's home after they were killed, a court has heard. Jurors at Woolwich Crown Court were on Thursday shown evidence from the flat shared by Albert Alfonso, 62, and his partner Paul Longworth, 71, in Shepherds Bush, west London. Yostin Mosquera, 35, a Colombian national staying with the couple was in a sexual relationship with Mr Alfonso, the court has heard. He denies murdering both men in July 2024.Emma White, a senior forensic investigator at the Metropolitan Police, told the jury she had observed blood staining - along with evidence of attempts to clean it up - in the couple's flat.
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Mr Mosquera is accused of killing Mr Longworth with a hammer on 8 July and hiding his body in a divan bed, before murdering Mr Alfonso by stabbing him to death during a recorded sex session later that day. Prosecution barristers also claim he dismembered their bodies and took them to Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge in an effort to dispose of the remains. Mosquera has admitted the manslaughter of Mr Longworth by way of loss of self-control. But the prosecution alleges Mr Mosquera caused Mr Longworth's death.
Ms White told the court on Thursday blood staining had been found in one bedroom, likely to have come from a severed vein or artery of Mr Alfonso.She said towels saturated with Mr Longworth's blood were found in the divan bed of his room. She also told the court traces of diluted blood had been found in the bathroom, as well as a number of bloodstained black latex gloves in a freezer in the hallway of the flat. Other bloodstained items were also found in the flat by investigators, including a hammer, white overalls and a Sainsbury's plastic bag, the hearing was told. The jury were also shown pictures of a silver suitcase they were told contained the human remains of Mr Longworth, captured by CCTV cameras on Clifton Suspension Bridge. Jurors were then shown an image from a webcam in Mr Alfonso's bedroom which appeared to show the same suitcase days earlier. Bodyworn footage from the first police officer to enter the couple's flat also shows an empty space where the same suitcase appeared previously, the court heard.
The trial continues.