GUILTY UK - Julie, 58, & David Williams, 32, mother & son murdered, Coventry, Oct 2020 *Retrial 2022*

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"Mr Williams was murdered on October 21 after going to Russell's flat, where they were 'probably taking drugs together', said the Crown's QC.

Russell afterwards 'confessed' to various people he had killed a man in the days following, alleging it was because he had believed the victim 'had sex with his girlfriend'.

Julie Williams was murdered in her flat on the night of October 24 going into October 25.

Jurors were told it is likely Russell 'duped' his way into her home, by claiming to know something about the then disappearance of her son.

In between the killings, he robbed Mr Warr of £30.

Fleeing Coventry, Russell then robbed 71-year-old Ms Crisp of £200 in nearby Kenilworth, Warwickshire, before arriving in Leamington Spa on October 26.

In the river-side town, Russell approached a couple; Christopher White and Nicole McGregor, who begged in Leamington.

The three made an agreement to buy drugs, later smoking them together.

Ms Johnson said: 'Nicole told the defendant she and Christopher were expecting a baby.

'She proudly showed the defendant a pregnancy scan that she had on her telephone.

'The defendant congratulated them both.'

Having left Mr White to go to their usual begging spots, CCTV later showed Russell 'walking alongside' Ms McGregor.

Russell is said to have 'lured' Ms McGregor to nearly Newbold Comyn park 'not for sex, but more likely for drugs' before allegedly raping and then killing her.

Russell, having killed Ms McGregor, slept rough that night but then went and found Mr White the next morning and told him a series of 'elaborate' lies about the woman's whereabouts.

It was on October 28, when a friend showed Mr White an image of a man wanted for the Williams killings in Coventry, he recognised it as Russell and 'in shock' went to the police.

A search team later found her body down a steep path, covered in scratches, 'in dense underground', likely after being dragged there in a bid to conceal the crime."

Anthony Russell pleads guilty to five-day murder spree but denies raping victim | Daily Mail Online
 
Proceedings opened today with the jury being told that Ms McGregor’s partner Christopher White would not be giving evidence.

The judge, Mr Justice Wall, said that Mr White would not be able to give evidence, which meant that counsel for the defence would not be able to cross-examine him.

The court heard that there were a number of issues being contested by the defence.

The court heard that when Mr White was interviewed by the police on October 30, 2020 he had made “no reference” to the fact he or Miss McGregor had discussed her pregnancy with the defendant.

The jury also heard that had the discussions been mentioned initially, then the picture of the scan that was referred to would have been obtained and form part of the evidence.

[...]

CCTV footage captures last moment murdered Nicole McGregor was seen
 
A jury was told today (February 16) there was "no direct evidence of rape" put forward by the prosecution during the trial of Anthony Russell. [...]

Ms McGregor was five months pregnant when her leggings were used as a weapon to strangle her in Leamington's Newbold Comyn Park. [...]

Defence barrister Tyrone Smith QC argued Russell, 39, had admitted three murders so if he had raped Ms McGregor he would admit that too.

Mr Smith said "there was not the classical signs of a violent forced sexual act" and given the circumstances in which the two lived, taking part in a sexual encounter in a park could have been the only option for them. [...]



Prosecution barrister Zoe Johnson QC told the court that when Russell was arrested he admitted "I killed her. I didn't sexually assault her."

But when he was told samples would be taken, he then told officers: "I did have sex with her."

The jury will return to Warwick Crown Court tomorrow morning (February 17) to deliberate.

Anthony Russell's defence tell jury there is 'no direct evidence of a rape'
 
Forensic pathologist Dr Brett Lockyer told the court on Tuesday that Ms McGregor's cause of death was from "external neck compression as a result of ligature strangulation".

As well as being covered in scratches, thought to be the result of being "dragged" to the "dense woodland" where she was found, she was also said to have suffered blunt force injury to her head and face, and a bleed to the brain.

The pathologist said he found evidence of "woodland debris" in her mouth, describing a piece of wood that was recovered as "substantial" in size and likely forced into her mouth "close to the time of her death".

It was "difficult to comprehend" any other explanation "since there was injury to her tongue", Dr Lockyer said.

Anthony Russell: Pregnant murder victim 'found with twigs in mouth'
 
A triple killer accused of raping his final victim during a six-day murder spree has exercised his right not to give evidence during a defence case lasting less than a minute.

After his QC Tyrone Smith told the court he was not calling any evidence, trial judge Mr Justice Wall asked the defence barrister if he had advised Russell that “the jury may draw such inferences as appear proper” from his failure to give evidence.

Mr Smith replied: "My Lord he has been so advised and stands by his right not to give evidence." [...]

"The prosecution suggest that the motive for murdering Nicole was to stop her complaining of rape. [...]

"We suggest there is a compelling circumstantial case and that once you put all the evidence together you will come to the sure conclusion that the defendant did indeed rape Nicole."

In his speech on behalf of Russell, Mr Smith asserted that the evidence did not support the rape charge, which he described as "little more than a hunch".

Urging jurors to judge the case fairly despite the "horrific material" they had seen, the defence lawyer said: "We recognise it’s a difficult and stressful task you have been given."

Triple killer opts not to give evidence on rape charge | ITV News
 
14:03BEN ECCLESTON
Prosecution opening
The trial is set to officially get underway in the next few minutes with the prosecution opening the case against Anthony Russell.

14:14KEY EVENT
'Campaign of crime'
Zoe Johnson QC tells the jury: "Between October 21, 2020, and his arrest on October 30, 2020, Anthony Russell embarked on a campaign of crime.

"He murdered three people, raping one of his victims before killing her, seriously attacked another leaving him with life-threatening injuries and robbed another two people.

"All of Anthony Russell's victims were vulnerable because of age, drug addiction or mental health problems."

14:22BEN ECCLESTON
Nicole McGregor was five months pregnant
Ms Johnson says Russell has admitted to the murders of David Williams, Julie Williams and Nicole McGregor.

She says Miss McGregor was five months pregnant when she was killed.

The jury hears that Russell has also admitted attacking and robbing another man, and robbing two others, but does not admit raping Miss McGregor.

Ms Johnson says he did so "just moments before he strangled her to death".

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
14:29BEN ECCLESTON
Sole issue
The jury is told that the "sole issue" in this trial is "whether you are sure that Nicole McGregor did not consent to sexual intercourse with the defendant and he did not believe that she had reasonably consented".

Ms Johnson says that while Miss McGregor cannot testify in the trial, there is a "compelling case" that she was raped before being murdered.

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
14:43BEN ECCLESTON
Threatened to throw girlfriend off balcony
Anthony Russell was living at Alice Arnold House in Bell Green, Coventry, at the time of the incidents.

He lived with his girlfriend, but she had moved out in August 2020 due to Russell's drug use and he had "threatened to throw her off the fourth floor balcony of the flat".

The prosecutor says: "He regretted his behaviour and persuaded her to return, but nothing had changed. He was still using heroin. They continued to argue and she left him on October 18."

14:44KEY EVENT
Body left under bed for five days
On October 21, 2020, Russell was in his flat with David Williams "probably taking drugs together", says Ms Johnson.

She says Russell murdered Mr Williams and placed his body under the bed and left him there for five days until he was discovered by police on October 26.

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
14:56BEN ECCLESTON
81 injuries to David Williams
Mr Williams was found with a lanyard around his neck which "had been used as a ligature".

The court is told that Mr Williams "suffered a violent attack at the hands of the defendant" which left him with 81 external marks and injuries on his body.

Ms Johnson says there were six "sharp impact" injuries to his head, but the cause of death was "compression of the neck by ligature strangulation".

14:58BEN ECCLESTON
Confessions to killing
Russell "confessed to several people" that he had killed someone in the coming days, without saying who it was, Ms Johnson says.

He said he had killed the man as he had slept with his girlfriend.

The prosecutor says that Russell went on to murder David Williams' mother, Julie, overnight from October 25-25 having "duped" his way inside her flat, possibly with information about her missing son.

Julie Williams was eventually found lying face down on the floor of her living room with the cord from a fan "wrapped tightly around her neck twice".

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
15:07KEY EVENT
113 injuries to Mrs Williams
Julie Williams had suffered a total of 113 injuries, including five "forceful blunt force injuries to her head and neck" and a "traumatic bleed on the brain".

The jury is told that she died from the "violent and sustained attack upon her".

Ms Johnson says that having killed the mother and son, Russell fled to Leamington Spa.

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
15:24BEN ECCLESTON
Arriving in Leamington
On October 26 that year, Russell robbed a 71-year-old woman in Kenilworth, stealing her handbag.

Later that day he arrived in Leamington where Nicole McGregor and her boyfriend Christopher White were. The couple were seen together on CCTV before going to separate places to beg in the town centre.

Ms Johnson said the couple, who were both drug users, had been together for around 12 months and were expecting their first child together.

The court hears that Russell approached Miss McGregor and had asked for help to "score" some drugs and would pay them £100 if she and Mr White could help him get some.

When Miss McGregor told this to Mr White, he agreed to do so.

15:26BEN ECCLESTON
Baby scan
Around 15 minutes later, Russell returned to the couple and "it was then that Mr White recognised him" as someone who had previously slept rough on the streets of Leamington a few years before.

The prosecutor says the three of them took drugs together that afternoon and Russell told them he was in Leamington as his girlfriend had cheated on him.

Ms Johnson says: "Miss McGregor told Russell she was expecting a baby and proudly showed him a scan on her phone."

She says soon after was the last time Mr White saw his girlfriend as they kissed goodbye to go to separate begging spots once more.

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
15:41KEY EVENT
Last time Miss McGregor seen alive
Later that evening Miss McGregor and Russell were seen together making their way to Newbold Comyn.

"We say he lured her there, not for sex but most likely for drugs," says Ms Johnson.

The jury are now shown the CCTV footage which is the last time Miss McGregor was seen alive.

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
16:10BEN ECCLESTON
Alleged rape on Newbold Comyn
The prosecutor says that Russell "raped and killed" Miss McGregor on Newbold Comyn in "one continued course of conduct".

At around 9pm that night Mr White bumped in to Russell in Leamington, with Russell saying he had given Miss McGregor money to get more drugs and she had "gone off with a bloke in a brown jacket", telling Russell to wait with Mr White for her to return.

Ms Johnson says the defendant "lied in a callous and calculated fashion".

Russell slept rough in Leamington that night.

16:11BEN ECCLESTON
Showing defendant baby items
The following day - October 27 - saw Russell begging on Parade in Leamington before he saw Mr White again and told him he had seen Miss McGregor who was again trying to buy drugs for them all.

"A series of elaborate lies to appease Christopher White," says Ms Johnson.

Russell and Mr White went to Miss McGregor's flat and Mr White showed the defendant items he had bought for the expected baby including a pram and a potty.

It was later that afternoon that Mr White reported Miss McGregor missing to police.

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
16:13BEN ECCLESTON
'I've done something really bad'
On October 28 Mr White was shown a news item about a man wanted in connection with incidents in Coventry and he recognised the man as the defendant, says Ms Johnson.

Mr White immediately went to the police station.

That same day saw another man bump into Russell who asked him why he was in Leamington and the defendant said "he had done something really bad", the prosecutor claims.

Russell told the man he had been chased by police the previous night, but the man didn't believe him.

Ms Johnson says Russell then went on to say a man had told him "he had shagged his girlfriend" and he had killed this man, having "kicked him in the neck and hearing it break".

16:14BEN ECCLESTON
Why he killed Julie Williams
Having killed the man, Russell said he had "tucked him under the bed for three days", Ms Johnson alleges.

It is said Russell also admitted to going to Julie Williams' flat where he "must have dropped himself in it" as she threatened to call police so he had killed her as well.

"He claimed to have hit her with a metal bar, before he showed the man a picture of himself in a local news article", says Ms Johnson.

The court hears the man reported what he had been told to police.

16:17KEY EVENT
Police find Miss McGregor's body
On October 29 Miss McGregor's body was found by police search teams near to the River Leam in "dense undergrowth, covered in scratches and bruises" having been dragged there.

Miss McGregor was naked from the waist down and her leggings were found around her neck.

She had died of ligature strangulation, the court heard, while the post-mortem examinations showed she was carrying a “fully-formed female foetus”.

16:20BEN ECCLESTON
DNA
The court hears Russell's DNA was found on Miss McGregor and the prosecution claim he knew this and tried to hide her body, possibly trying to place it in the River Leam but being stopped due to the thick reeds in the way.

Ms Johnson asks the jury: "Did she consent to sexual intercourse with a man she didn't know, while five months pregnant and just before she was murdered?"

Coventry killer Anthony Russell on trial accused of rape
 
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