Woman died 'with over 100 injuries including fractures and cigarette burns from violent ex'

Stephen Todd near Melissa Eastick with astir 123 bruises, cuts, fractures and cigaret burns, which were caused during repeated assaults astatine his home, prosecutors claim

A pistillate died with implicit 100 injuries including fractures and cigaret burns inflicted by her convulsive ex-partner implicit a bid of days, a execution proceedings has heard.

Stephen Todd near 36-year-old Melissa Eastick with astir 123 bruises, cuts, fractures and cigaret burns, which were caused during repeated assaults astatine his home, prosecutors claim. Newcastle Crown Court heard Melissa had besides suffered a encephalon wounded which would person near her unconscious for "some days" earlier her death.

Todd, 41, denies execution and is being tried by a jury. Prosecutor Peter Glenser KC told the tribunal Todd had called 999 conscionable aft 7am connected October 17 past twelvemonth and reported helium was incapable to aftermath Melissa, who did not look to beryllium breathing. The exigency telephone handler advised Todd to get Melissa onto the level and gave him instructions connected however to transportation retired CPR, which helium did.

When paramedics arrived astatine his past location astatine Stockton Terrace, Sunderland, Todd led them to a acheronian surviving country and claimed: "She was alright yesterday." But Mr Glenser told jurors: "The Crown, 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 tribunal heard Melissa was successful Todd's institution connected October 2 and they were caught connected CCTV unneurotic successful Asda, wherever they bought nutrient earlier they returned to his two-bedroom level .Mr Glenser told jurors: "There are nary recorded sightings of Melissa Eastick live aft this date, either successful idiosyncratic oregon connected CCTV."

Jurors heard Melissa received a income telephone connected her mobile from Vodaphone connected October 6, which was recorded by the institution and showed that she did person a speech with the employee. Mr Glenser said that telephone was the "last impervious of beingness for Melissa Eastick".

The tribunal heard erstwhile the exigency services arrived astatine the level connected October 17, Melissa had facial bruising, fractured ribs, vertebrae, chemoreceptor and jaw, cigaret burns to her torso and a encephalon wounded which would person rendered her unconscious for immoderate days earlier her death. Mr Glenser said immoderate of the injuries would person been inflicted betwixt 4 and 7 days earlier her decease whereas others were astir 72 hours before

.Mr Glenser 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."

Mr Glenser said specializer grounds indicates Melissa's bony fractures were inflicted astatine antithetic times, "separated by days". 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, 41, of Buttermere Street, Sunderland, 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.

The proceedings continues.