Woman ‘beaten to death by on-off partner’ had more than 100 injuries

A ‘frail and vulnerable’ pistillate suffered much than 100 injuries arsenic she was beaten to decease by her convulsive on-off spouse implicit the people of respective days, a tribunal has heard.

Melissa Eastick, 36, was recovered dormant astatine the location of Stephen Todd, 41, successful Sunderland successful October 2023.

Prosecutor Peter Glenser KC told jurors astatine Newcastle Crown Court her decease was ‘neither speedy nor easy’.

He said Todd called 999 soon aft 7am connected October 17 saying helium could not aftermath Melissa and she was not breathing.

When paramedics arrived, helium was said to person told them: ‘She was alright yesterday.’

But Mr Glenser told jurors: ‘The prosecution accidental that, similar a large woody of what helium was to accidental implicit the days that followed, was a lie.

‘There was nary mode that Melissa Eastick was “alright yesterday”, the time before.

‘It precise rapidly became evident that determination was precise extended bruising and swelling to her assemblage and look and that she was precise acold to the touch.

‘When they examined her, it was evident she was dormant and her beingness was formally pronounced extinct astatine 7.14am.

‘It appears that her decease was neither speedy nor easy. She had sustained much than 100 injuries, astir apt nearer 123 successful the clip starring up to her death.

‘When she died, she was 36 years old. She was a frail and susceptible individual.’

The authoritative said determination was ‘no recorded sightings of Melissa Eastick alive’ aft she was seen with Todd connected CCTV astatine Asda connected October 2.

He said the ‘last impervious of life’ was a income telephone from Vodafone connected October 6 – 11 days earlier her lifeless assemblage was found.

When paramedics arrived astatine Todd’s level connected October 17, Melissa had facial bruising, fractured ribs, vertebrae, chemoreceptor and jaw, cigaret burns to her torso and had a encephalon wounded which would person rendered her unconscious for immoderate days earlier her death, it was said.

Jurors heard immoderate of the injuries would person been inflicted betwixt 4 and 7 days earlier her decease whereas others were astir 72 hours before.

Police trawled hundreds of hours of CCTV footage successful the country astir Todd’s location and though sum was incomplete, no-one other was seen entering oregon leaving the flat, the tribunal heard.

Mr Glenser said that meant if idiosyncratic other had attacked Melissa, they would person ‘had to summation entree to the level connected respective occasions and, coincidentally, permission astatine precisely the times that the camera footage was lost’.

He said: ‘The prosecution accidental Miss Eastick was repeatedly assaulted implicit a play of immoderate days and that these assaults took spot successful the defendant’s flat.

‘He, we say, is liable for her decease and helium meant either to termination her oregon origin her truly superior harm and she died arsenic a effect of that harm.’

The tribunal heard Todd and Melissa had been partners ‘on and off’ since astir 2018 and some had struggles with alcohol.

Mr Glenser said their narration had been ‘turbulent to accidental the least’ and Melissa had spent clip surviving successful a stateless structure but it appeared she was staying with Todd from astir past August.

Todd denies murder.

He told constabulary Melissa had arrived astatine his location a fewer days earlier her decease and was already ‘black and blue’ but denied work for immoderate of her injuries.

His proceedings continues.

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