Willenhall war veteran 'killed by woman neighbour'

William Davis, who walked with the aid of a stick or walking frame, was repeatedly hit on the head and face, the jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Mr Peter Grieves-Smith QC said: "The blows were delivered while he was lying on the ground defenceless."

The attacker was Charlotte Frazier-Doody who lived opposite the victim in Hobley Street, Willenhall, the lawyer claimed.

A chunk of her hair was later found in the room of his house where he lived alone and was murdered, the court heard.

Mr Grieves-Smith said: "About 20 head hairs had been pulled out from the root by Mr Davis as he was trying to resist the attack."

The traces of the DNA of both the victim and Frazier-Doody were found at the scene after the murder, the court was told.

Mr Grieves-Smith said: "Those components were most likely to have come from blood from both the victim and the defendant. The attacker would have had blood on her hands."

The weapon used to kill Mr Davis, who had war medals hanging at his home, had not been found, the jury was told. But a set of saucepans was later found to be missing.

Frazier-Doody was seen riding on her moped away from Hobley Street shortly after the time Mr Davis had been attacked, it was claimed. "The top box of the machine was full of something," said Mr Grieves-Smith.

Frazier-Doody was hooked on heroin and crack, said the prosecutor, who added: "We are not saying that to try to smear her. It is relevant for why she did what she did."

Mr Davis was found close to death in the back room of his locked home by two women neighbours, one of whom had a key. They had become concerned after getting no response from the front door two hours after hearing "banging" inside the property around 4pm on April 1.

Mr Davis was terribly injured but still alive. Paramedics were called but realised the victim was unlikely to survive the "massive head injuries".

The back room was too congested and so he was taken outside the house in the view of onlookers as they tried unsuccessfully to save him, the court heard.

He was pronounced dead at 7.01pm, with the cause of death being multiple blunt head injuries.

The victim had £280 in a wallet in his trouser pocket which had not been touched by the murdererd. The jury was told Frazier-Doody had done odd jobs for Mr Davis and took food to him on the day he died.

Frazier-Doody was trying to come off drugs and had written a grim warning in a letter dated April 1, the day Mr Davis was murdered, the court heard.

Mr Grieves-Smith said the note read: "I want to kill somebody, kill myself to stop all this."

Frazier-Doody denies murder and the trial continues.

By John Scott