Murder accused admits burglary
The man accused of torturing and murdering Davinia Loynton has admitted burgling her home eight months before she was found battered to death.
The jury at Stafford Crown Court, where Kevin Hyden is on trial, has heard a series of agreed facts, including the defendant owning up to three burglaries in the Wellington area.
Miss Deborah Gould, prosecuting, told the jury the first burglary was at Miss Loynton's maisonette on St John's Street on January 16 last year.
In a statement to police Miss Loynton, 59, said she left for work at 7.40am but when she got back at 6.15pm, she noticed a plate rack on the floor and that her £400 laptop was gone.
Also missing were her IT tablet, worth £300, and a jewellery box which included three rings with a total value of £500.
Burglary number two was of another house on St John's Road on February 22 last year. And on the night of September 9, just 10 days before Miss Loynton's murder, internal security cameras filmed Hyden breaking in to the air ambulance charity shop in Wellington. He stole a laptop and a charity collection tin later found among his clothing. Another agreed fact was the finding of Miss Loynton's mobile phone, in pieces, in Hyden's flat.
The jury heard that Hyden was arrested on suspicion of murder on September 23 by DS Kevin Jones at a flat in Fowler Close. The jury heard how his first response was: "Murder? Come on, I have a one-year-old."
Miss Gould said an expert had examined a text message allegedly sent by Hyden to Miss Loynton's employers when she failed to show up for work, asserting she was in Falmouth. The expert compared the wording of the text with examples from the defendant, including letters sent while on remand to his partner Emma Lucas. They each included mis-spellings such as 'im' for 'I'm' and 'carnt' for 'can't'.
The prosecution alleges that Hyden tortured Miss Loynton in her home to get the pin numbers for her bank cards before killing her.
Hyden, 35, of Glebe Street, Wellington denies a charge of murder. Lucas, 39, of Keats Avenue in Stafford, denies perverting the course of justice by providing Hyden with a false alibi.
The trial continues.
