A 71-year-old holidaymaker was killed after mistaking a stranger’s home for a hotel and falling asleep in his bed, a murder trial was told on Monday.
Grandmother Margaret Barnes travelled to the seaside resort of Barmouth, North Wales, from her home in Birmingham to visit friends in July last year, and went out for some drinks after she arrived.
But returning “intoxicated”, she mistook David Redfern’s large seafront house for her hotel on the same road, and fell asleep in one of the bedrooms, Caernarfon Crown Court heard.
She was discovered by Redfern, 46, who dragged her downstairs by her feet before attacking her in a fury and throwing her suitcase into the road, the court heard.
Redfern was 6ft 1in tall weighing 21 stone at the time of the killing.
The jury was told Redfern had “self-confessed anger issues” and his reaction was “out of all proportion”.
Prosecutor Michael Jones said: “It would have been unexpected to find the elderly woman asleep in their bed.
“He pulled her down the stairs by the ankles. He intentionally stamped on her or kicked her.”
Mr Jones said it led to “catastrophic” injuries to her liver and a number of broken ribs.
Barnes managed to get outside where her case had been thrown by Redfern who then “mocked her as she began complaining of chest pains”, the court was told.
Barnes fell unconscious, the court heard, and went into cardiac arrest as neighbours tried to resuscitate her. She died at the scene from “traumatic injuries”.
A post mortem found she had a traumatic liver injury and was bleeding extensively internally.
The court heard her injuries were similar to the blunt force trauma expected in a high-speed road crash.
Redfern told police in interviews that Barnes, of Baldwins Lane, Birmingham, had been aggressive and had lunged at his partner.
The prosecution said Redfern would claim he had tripped or fallen on Barnes and denied kicking her.
‘Mrs Barnes died because she came across an angry bully’
But Mr Jones added: “The reason Mrs Barnes died is she had the misfortune of coming across a man who was an angry bully.”
She was identified to police by her husband Raymond.
In a tribute her family said: “Margaret was a devoted wife, and the best mother, grandmother and sister anyone could ask for. She always had a smile on her face and was always caring, loving and willing to help anyone especially her family who she cherished.
“She will be sorely missed and we can honestly say that our lives without her will never be the same again.’”
Redfern, of Barmouth, denies both the murder or manslaughter of Barnes.
The trial at Caernarfon Crown Court is expected to last about three weeks.