5:33pm Tuesday 24th November 2009
By Miranda Newey
A WOMAN strangled her elderly aunt and then bizarrely left the body surrounded by clothes and food “for her journey to heaven”, a court has heard.
Prosecutors allege that mother-of-one Diane Stephens murdered her 81-year-old aunt, Jean Nevin, at the victim’s bungalow off Green Leach Lane, Haresfinch in January.
Stephens, from Appleton, Warrington, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court for the murder of the auntie she thought of as a “mother figure”.
Her victim was found wearing a coat, scarf, gloves and was surrounded by bags of defrosting food, cleaning materials, clothes and a plate of uncooked bacon and beans.
Stephens, aged 54, entered a not guilty plea by reason of insanity on Monday.
Judge Gerald Clifton, told the jury of four women and eight men that it is an unusual case because “both the prosecution and defence agree” Stephens was legally and mentally insane at the time of Mrs Nevin’s death.
He added that “the law says the verdict should be not guilty by reason of insanity” but legally only a jury can confirm that view.
John Benson QC, prosecuting, told the jury Stephens had strangled Mrs Nevin at her home on January 12.
The widow’s body – surrounded by the cloths and food - was found dead by a neighbour but it was not thought to be a suspicious death at first.
But an investigation was launched after Stephens was admitted to Hollins Park, Winwick, that evening after telling her father the ‘grim reaper’ was in her flat and failing to remember being breathalysed or in a car accident earlier that day.
The court was told Stephens’ mum died when she was 14 years old and her aunt, Mrs Nevin, then brought her up as her own daughter.
The court heard that medical experts believed the accused was suffering from a severe psychotic illness, amounting to a disease of the mind, which had become very acute in the days leading to the incident.
Mr Benson said that in December the victim told Stephens she wanted to discuss family arrangements because she was old and had heart problems.
The difficult conversation could have been the trigger of the defendant’s mental illness, he said.
The case continues.
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