A WOMAN who is accused of killing the man she lived with made TikTok videos ‘admitting stabbing him and describing herself as a bad girl’, a jury has been told.
Winter Swan-Miller is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with the murder of Stuart Maxwell Crocker, 62, who was found dead at The Signals, in New Street, Andover, on June 28, last year.
Police investigations found that veteran Mr Crocker (pictured) might have been killed in the early hours of June 23, but was only discovered five days later when a neighbour phoned 999 concerned for his welfare.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service attended Mr Crocker’s home and his body was found covered “by a blue blanket and over his face was laid a separate white pillowcase”.
READ MORE: Recap: Prosecution makes opening statements in Andover murder trial
On Thursday, May 16, prosecutor Nicola Shannon KC, opening the case, said that Mr Crocker suffered 26 wounds to his body, “but the fatal wound was one to his neck and they had been caused by a sharp blade.
“Some were said to be typical of ‘defence-type’ wounds, caused to the arms and hands when a person tries to defend themselves against someone with a knife.
"The deepest wound was on the right-hand side of the neck, which was 7cm deep, but it was in fact a wound on the left-hand side of the neck which cut the jugular vein, which appeared to be the ultimate cause of death.”
The prosecution has claimed that after Swan-Miller murdered Mr Crocker she covered his body with a blanket and a pillowcase and left a fan on as an attempt to keep the body cool and prevent early discovery due to smell.
SEE ALSO: Live updates: Day 3 of trial of woman accused of murdering Andover man
In the hours following the murder the 37-year-old went to McDonald’s to buy a sausage and egg McMuffin and to Tesco to buy a greeting card for a friend – both of which were caught on CCTV.
On one visit to Tesco, she allegedly told a member of staff that she could have her dog as she was ‘going to prison’, adding: “I’m not a bad person. You’ll find out in the Andover Advertiser.”
The court has heard that Swan-Miller “cleaned herself up and then went ‘on the run’ for several days before the body was discovered and police came looking for her”.
In the days after Mr Crocker’s death Swan-Miller recorded TikTok videos, in which “she admits having stabbed him to death and describes herself as a ‘bad girl’,” the prosecutor told jurors.
Swan-Miller, of no fixed abode, was arrested in Birmingham on June 30. She had been staying with co-defendant Edward Jones, 44, of Lancaster Avenue, Walsall, who had provided her with a place to stay and the use of his phone.
It alleged that the pair used Mr Crocker’s bank card to withdraw money from an ATM.
The court has heard that when Mr Crocker’s body was found, several notes were discovered near him, allegedly written by Swan-Miller and addressed to various people, including the police, explaining why she had killed him.
One on the notes read: “PIGS [believed to be a reference to police] – I did this cus the scum raped bought sold me destroyed me mentally, sexually physically so I killed this one as a f****** statement [SIC].
Gurdeep Garcha KC is representing Swan-Miller, while Zafar Ali KC is defending Edward Jones.
Jones faces charges of fraud by false representation and assisting an offender.
The trial, which is expected to go on for seven weeks, continues.
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