“Winter Swan-Miller is not a monster. And Stuart Crocker is not a saint.”
These were the words of a defence counsel for a woman accused of murder as he made his closing argument on Monday, July 29.
Swan-Miller is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with the murder of Mr 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 on June 23, 2023.
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With the murder trial entering its final stages, Swan-Miller’s defence counsel Gurdeep Garcha KC told jury members in his closing remarks that, while the prosecution had been “seeking to vilify and demonise” his client, “the evidence reveals that she is rather a tragic figure".
He continued: “[She is] somebody who had endured an abusive life involving the most unimaginable horrors, and who has emerged damaged, angry, abrasive and dysfunctional. Just as she is not a monster, Mr Crocker is not a saint. Prosecution have sought to eulogise him. A vulnerable, fragile, elderly man is the carefully crafted image the prosecution project.
“But the evidence shows he was in fact, a more malign figure. A man who had a darker side. And for whom, Swan-Miller was an object of desire and an object that he could control and use on his own terms.”
Mr Garcha painted Swan-Miller as a victim rather than a perpetrator, claiming she was forced to kill her alleged abuser in self-defence.
The court also heard again from Mr Garcha the graphic details of the alleged rape that preceded the fatal stabbing.
The defence counsel stressed that while Crocker did not deserve to die, the evidence clearly indicates Swan-Miller acted in self-defence when she inflicted 27 stab wounds.
He argued that the multiple stab wounds were a direct result of the fear and panic she experienced during the attack.
Mr Garcha said it was a case of loss of control.
“A finding of loss of control, does not mean that she gets away with anything,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Winter Swan-Miller stands trial accused of Andover murder
“As the judge directed you, it will not excuse her actions completely. It is not a get out of jail card. It is a finding that she unlawfully killed a man, of manslaughter, but would be you articulating that in the circumstances in which she did, she is not guilty of murder.”
The defence counsel for Jones is expected to present his closing statement on Tuesday, July 30. It will be followed by the judge summing up the case to the jurors and directing them on how to arrive at a verdict.
The jury is likely to be sent to deliberate on a verdict on Wednesday, July 31.
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