Man guilty of murdering his partner who was found with catastrophic head injury

Darren Constantine, known also as Manny, was arrested after Julie Webb was found unconscious by paramedics at her home on Albert Road, Handsworth, on January 23, 2019.

Her injuries were so severe that nothing could be done to save her and she died in hospital the next day.

Constantine claimed his innocence, alleging his partner had fallen while under the influence of drugs and that he had no idea how she suffered her injuries, despite his own face being covered in scratches.

A pathologist later determined Julie suffered multiple severe head injuries, however it was unclear which one of them was the fatal blow.

The distribution of blood at the scene, also placed Constantine in close contact when the injuries occurred. And during the trial, Constantine admitted to dragging his victim down the stairs, with a witness further claiming her head banged off the steps in the process.

Complex case

Over a year after Julie died, Constantine was charged and at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday he was found guilty of her murder. He is due to be sentenced on Friday.

Detective Inspector Jim Mahon from the force’s homicide team, said: “This was a really complex case where initially it looked as though Julie’s injuries were consistent with that of a fall. However a post mortem examination proved Julie died as a result of a number of injuries causing severe head trauma.

“The investigation included extensive trawling of CCTV and enquiries which showed that Constantine had lied and subjected Julie to repeated violence.

“A number of witnesses who resided at the address were fearful of providing evidence against Constantine and showed bravery in attending court and telling the truth.

“I hope this outcome shows that domestic violence of any sort will not be tolerated and we will do all we can to bring abusers to justice.

“The current lockdown can cause a lot of stress in relationships, but under Government legislation around coronavirus, the rules to the national lockdown do not apply if you need to leave home to escape domestic abuse.”

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