Jury retires in Christmas Day murder trial
During the trial jurors have been shown CCTV of Carless running up the front path into the house and then "stalking" 31-year-old Mr Price around the garden before he was later found with a single stab wound to the chest on the conservatory floor.Ms Carless had called Mr Price 45 times between 02:15 GMT and 02:44, the court heard, while she waited for the taxi to take her to his address.She was said to have asked the taxi driver to wait outside while she went in the property at about 03:00, before fleeing minutes later in the cab to her parents' address, where she was arrested.Mr Price had been considered by police to be "at very high risk of domestic abuse" the jury was told, and Ms Carless was on police bail at the time of the fatal stabbing after allegedly strangling him on 11 November.
In her evidence, Ms Carless said she had no recollection of stabbing him, and added she was "not a violent person".She said she had only gone to the address as she believed he had taken money from inside a card she had in her home.She said she picked up a knife with intent to destroy the caravan he was staying in, in his parents' back garden, and had "panicked" after Mr Price was stabbed, and fled.She denies murder and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, and also denies intentional strangling and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident in November.The jury were sent out to start their deliberations by judge Mr Justice Choudhury shortly before midday on Monday.
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Gang murdered tourist after following him from party mansion made famous by Bonnie Blue
A gang of robbers have been found guilty of fatally stabbing a Greek tourist after following him from outside a multimillion-pound party mansion. Antonis Antoniadis, 26, was targeted after he left 32 Portland Place nightclub, in Marylebone, west London. Following an Old Bailey trial, Shian Johnson, 26, Sofian Alliche, 20, his brother Amin Alliche, 18, Joshua McCorquodale, 20, and Alfie Hipple, 18, all from Camden, north London, were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to rob. The defendants were taken down from the dock after one of them reacted with an angry outburst, accusing the jury of 'ruining' his life. The jury had deliberated for more than 14 hours to reach its unanimous verdicts, with one of them leaving court in tears. Judge Rebecca Trowler KC adjourned sentencing until October 3. The court heard how Greek printing firm office worker Mr Antoniadis had come on holiday to London for a week with two friends called Maria and Tia. They ended up at the 32 Portland Place nightclub in Marylebone in the early hours of July 7, jurors were told. The venue, owned by Edward 'Fast Eddie' Davenport, came to public attention when it hosted OnlyFans personality Bonnie Blue in her attempt to sleep with more than 1,000 men in 12 hours. On the evening before the murder, the robbers followed a yellow Lamborghini and a Mercedes car before fixing on the victim, who was carrying a Lacoste man bag and wearing a designer Versace watch. Mr Antoniadis and his two female friends did not leave Portland Place until after 8am and had booked an Uber to get back to a friend's address in New Cross, south-east London, where they were staying. Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC said the tourists had no idea that the young men hanging around outside the nightclub in a stolen car were on the lookout for someone to rob. He said: 'It seems that when that group of five saw Antonis come out of the club, those robbers thought they had found a suitable target. 'So when they saw him come out and get into his Uber, they, in their stolen car, followed him.' The defendants trailed the Uber car for more than half an hour to its destination on the opposite side of London, the court heard. As one of Mr Antoniadis's friends struggled to find the door key upon arriving at the address, he was approached by four figures in hoods and balaclavas. The fifth member of the gang acted as the getaway driver, jurors were told. Mr Antoniadis managed to hit one of the robbers with a brandy bottle as the group tried to grab his man bag. Mr Emlyn Jones said: 'Tragically, whether it was brave or whether it was just an instinctive response, that reaction was to cost him his life.' The victim was punched and kicked and then stabbed in the chest and thigh, severing his femoral artery. The attackers, at least two of whom were carrying large knives, then fled the scene in the getaway car, leaving the victim bleeding heavily. Mr Antoniadis was treated at the scene and taken to hospital where attempts were made to save his life, but he died from his injuries on July 21 last year. The car used by the robbers – a stolen Kia Sportage with false number plates – was captured on CCTV and the defendants were also linked through cell site data. Jurors heard McCorquodale had convictions in 2022 for conspiracy to rob and robbery relating to mobile phone snatching and trying to take an electric bicycle with an accomplice. When police searched his home they found a machete, a Zombie knife and two balaclavas. Both McCorquodale and Johnson denied being present at the time of the murder, saying they left earlier that evening. Within days of the murder, Johnson and his girlfriend had taken a flight to Cancun in Mexico and booked into an all-inclusive hotel resort and spa. They failed to return on their scheduled flight back to Gatwick on July 24. Four days later, police were waiting at Gatwick airport and they boarded a flight that arrived from Madrid to arrest Johnson on suspicion of murder. Johnson had a conviction for possessing a knife in Camden High Street in 2015, and a machete and balaclava were found at his home. The court heard Sofian Alliche had a previous conviction for robbing a man on Regent's Canal towpath in 2019. In a search of the Alliche brothers' home, officers seized two balaclavas, a Louis Vuitton man bag, a large sword and drug paraphernalia. Amin Alliche admitted being the driver but claimed he did not leave the car at the scene of the murder, as did his sibling Sofian. Hipple admitted leaving the car in New Cross but claimed to be unaware of the robbery and had only taken a mobile phone in an opportunistic theft. Jurors heard he had a conviction in 2022 for possessing an offensive weapon in public relating to a police stop in which he was found with a knife in a sheath tucked into his waistband. Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, Specialist Crime South, said: 'Antonis had been visiting from Greece with friends. Very tragically he never made it home to his family. 'This was a particularly challenging and complex case given the lack of CCTV at the scene and the movement of the vehicle, which had been driven by the defendants continuously throughout the night of July 6 and into the following afternoon. 'I would like to thank in particular Antonis' friends, who had witnessed his brutal murder and returned to the UK to give their evidence. 'I would also like to thank the witnesses who came forward and helped us to understand what had happened to Antonis. 'I am pleased our concerted efforts to find those responsible has enabled us to achieve justice for Antonis' loved ones, family, and friends.'
The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
Body of man murdered after he was wrongly identified as paedo lay undiscovered for weeks despite tip-offs to cops
THE body of man who was murdered after he was wrongly identified as a paedo lay undiscovered for weeks despite multiple tip-offs to cops. Michael Wheeler, 37, was brutally attacked and killed by Mark Roberts and David Garland on August 24 last year after he was mistakenly identified as a paedophile. 7 7 7 He was assaulted at Roberts's flat in Yeovil in the early hours of the morning, suffering multiple injuries, including 11 skull and facial fractures. Wheeler had be friends with Garland and Roberts - to whom he owed £100. But his relationship went downhill when the others saw an article about a man - also named Michael Wheeler - who was jailed in 2003 after admitting grooming and sexually abusing two 13-year-old girls. They were not the same person and during the trial, prosecuting counsel, David Elias, KC, made it clear the victim had no convictions for child sexual offences. One of the last sightings of him was on CCTV at a petrol station just a few hours before his death. Wheeler's body was later found in a derelict caravan on farmland in Yarlington on September 25 last year. On the day of his death, Avon and Somerset Police had received an anonymous call to say someone had been heard shouting "call the police" and sent officers to a flat in Yeovil where a man refused to let them in. Three weeks later, the force received another anonymous tip-off to say there was a dead body at the same address. The force carried out further inquiries but were unable to locate a body at the time. Garland and Roberts were each found guilty of both the murder of Michael Wheeler and conspiracy to cause him grievous bodily harm with intent. Garland had previously admitted preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body. Moment teens hunt boy, 15, before knifing him to death to 'teach him a lesson' Garland was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 32 years for murder. He was handed a two-year jail term for preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body, to be served concurrently. Roberts was jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years for murder. Details of the two tip-offs were included in a report published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on deaths following police contact. The IOPC report said: "Police received an anonymous call to a residential address reporting that a man had been heard shouting "call the police". "An officer attended and spoke to the man outside of the property who said he lived at the address but refused to allow the officer inside. "Just over three weeks later, police received anonymous information about a dead body in the same address that the officer had attended. "The information suggested the man had been murdered two or three weeks before. Inquiries were carried out, but police were unable to locate a body. "Several arrests were made, including the man who lived at the address that was initially visited by the police officer. A short time after the arrests a body of a man was found." The IOPC investigated the decisions made by the sergeant who responded to the initial call, said a spokesperson. 7 7 When Wheeler disappeared, his mother was suffering from a terminal illness. She passed away before the trial, but had written a victim personal statement which was read to the court. She said: 'I have had my DNR (do not resuscitate) changed so that I can try and stay alive as long as possible. I want to make it to trial. I want to see justice served on these people. 'I may not be here when this statement is read out, but that means I am with my son.' She said: 'I wasn't able to see Michael once he had been found and this was because of the circumstances he was found in. This upset me, I wanted to say goodbye to him. "As a family we haven't been able to get back to normal. We've all been looking out for one another. It's so difficult for us all, I would just love to have him back.' 'SCARRED FOR LIFE' Michael's older sister also paid tribute and described him as a 'loving man with a big heart'. She said he was 'brilliant' with her children, always making time for them. She said: 'It breaks my heart that he will never get to see them grow up. The children miss their uncle terribly. "Michael never had the chance to say goodbye to our mum – he was her golden boy. When we got the news from the police, mum's health deteriorated so quickly. 'I was caring for her, and to lose both my brother and then mum shortly after has been unbearable … I'm saddened to think she left us without knowing the full truth of what happened to Michael. "I am filled with anger and confusion. I cannot understand why anyone would want to kill him. 'It has scarred me for life … This loss is going to affect me forever … Although the trial is over, the pain remains. I want my brother back. "These terrible men have taken my brother away from me and our family. "They must face the consequences of this awful act.'
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mom of woman, 19, murdered on first date issues jaw-dropping courtroom threat to arrogant killer as he's jailed for life
The heartbroken mother of a 19-year-old woman who was murdered on a first date told her daughter's killer during his sentencing that she will haunt him for eternity. 'You and your family will be held fully responsible for the rest of your lives,' Sheena Scarborough told Maxwell Anderson on Friday as he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Sade Robinson. 'You will be eternally haunted by myself, my ancestors... I know you can't sleep at night, they have already been at you.' Anderson, 34, was convicted in June of killing and dismembering college student Robinson during their first date last year in Milwaukee. Prosecutors said he cut up Robinson's body and dumped one of her legs near a playground. Parts of her body, including her head, were never found. 'Judge, I'm asking this demon be respectfully returned back to hell as soon as possible,' Scarborough added. Robinson's father, Carlos Robinson, suggested to the judge that someone dismember Anderson. 'Everything that he did should be done to him,' he said. 'No man should be able to live after what he did. That's just how I feel. I can't get past this. I can't.' Anderson maintained his innocence throughout the trial and the sentencing. 'I took this to trial without ever once trying to make a plea deal of any kind because I did not commit these crimes,' Anderson said on Friday. 'And so I plan to appeal my convictions, while I hope and pray that further investigations not only prove my innocence but find and deliver true justice.' Anderson and Robinson, a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College, first met at a bar in March 2024 a week before her death. Police said they then spent the late afternoon and early evening of April 1 drinking at two bars before heading back to Anderson's apartment. Photos on Anderson's phone showed Anderson groping Robinson as she lay face down on his couch. Prosecutors have argued she was incapacitated and couldn't resist. Surveillance video showed her car leaving his apartment early on the morning of April 2 and arriving at a park along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Prosecutors claimed that's where he cut her body into pieces. He later burned her car behind an abandoned building and took a bus home. Searchers discovered one of Robinson's legs in the park and her other leg and a foot near a playground close to where he burned the car. Within the car, despite 'extreme fire damage,' investigators identified the outfit Robinson had been wearing on the night of the date as well as part of an iPhone consistent with hers. A human torso and an arm believed to be Robinson's remains washed up on a beach in suburban South Milwaukee. Her head is still missing. First-degree intentional homicide in Wisconsin carries a mandatory life sentence. The only question for Anderson on Friday was whether the judge would allow him to seek parole. Anderson's attorney, Tony Cotton, asked the judge to make Anderson eligible for parole after 25 years. He argued that Anderson served in the US Navy and suffers from obvious mental health issues. Cotton acknowledged that Anderson has been convicted of multiple misdemeanor disorderly conduct counts in connection with domestic violence but they're not significant offenses compared to most homicide defendants. He added that he has concerns about Anderson's safety in prison. But judge Laura Crivello refused to offer Anderson a chance at parole. She dismissed Anderson's claims of innocence, saying his view of reality 'differs from the rest of the world.' Trailing off at times and shaking her head, she said he's irredeemable, called his crimes 'unconscionable' and likened the case to something out of a horror novel. As previously reported, before the gruesome murder, Anderson and Robinson watched the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots. The animated show's Season 2 finale, 'The Drowned Giant,' depicts the gruesome dismantling of a gigantic human body on a beach.
