A WOMAN accused of the murder of an army veteran in Andover has told a court that she stabbed him while he was trying to rape her.

Winter Swan-Miller is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with the murder of Stuart Maxwell Crocker. 

The 62-year-old was found dead at The Signals, in New Street, Andover, on June 28, last year.

Police investigations found that Mr Crocker 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.

Edward Jones, of Lancaster Avenue, Walsall, is a co-defendant in the case for allegedly providing accommodation and social media access for Swan-Miller for one week from June 23, 2023.

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The trial resumed on Tuesday, July 10, with Swan-Miller continuing her evidence as she described a 'tumultuous relationship' with Mr Crocker, which culminated in the fatal stabbing.

Her evidence included allegations of repeated rape and controlling behaviour by Mr Crocker, a claim central to her defence.

Swan-Miller told the court that she moved into Mr Crocker’s flat in April 2023, and she first thought that he was a “kind, nice and friendly” man.

However, she alleges his behaviour changed just weeks after she moved in and he raped her five times until the fatal stabbing.

Swan-Miller said she stabbed him when he was lying on top of her, with his weight on her, while trying to rape her.

"He was holding my neck and I stabbed him to stop," she said, standing up in the witness box to demonstrate how she stabbed Mr Crocker “in self-defence”.

"If you hadn't done that, what would you think would have happened to you?" asked her counsel, Gurdeep Garcha KC.

"I would have been dead," she responded.

"His weight was over me. He was licking my face and grabbing my boobs. I got a knife in my hand, and I stabbed him," she said, adding that she was under the influence of crack cocaine at the time.

When questioned about her actions post-incident, Swan-Miller admitted she was 'scared and unsure of what to do'.

She confessed to throwing the knife in a wooded area and leaving her phone with a barmaid, hoping the police would see it as a sign she was trying to protect herself.

"I was scared," she said. "Not having anywhere to live."

Swan-Miller also explained to jurors her feeling of isolation and control exerted by Mr Crocker, including his control over her medication and finances.

"Crocker took my medication for himself, because they were addictive," she said.

"He made me sign papers so that he could collect medicines on behalf of me from Tesco. He would keep those medicines in his cupboard which had a lock."

A TikTok video posted by Swan-Miller after the incident was also scrutinised.

The video, with Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman as the background song, was posted with the words "Dangerous Woman" typed over it.

Swan-Miller claimed the video was recorded much earlier and was not related to Mr Crocker's death, but was instead a coping mechanism.

"TikTok is something I did for relief," she explained.

When asked if she had tried to hide her responsibility for Mr Crocker's death, Swan-Miller said, "No," acknowledging her role in his death but maintaining that it was an act of self-defence.

Throughout her evidence, Swan-Miller painted a picture of a life spiralling out of control due to drug addiction.

She admitted to heavy drug use, including on the night of the incident, and described her mental state as unstable.

"I was so messed up," she said, struggling to recall specific details about the night of Mr Crocker's death.

The trial continues.