Murder trial hears of Marsha's last moments (From Your Local Guardian)

Murder trial hears of Marsha's last moments

12:14am Saturday 13th October 2007 in News By Sarah Newstead

Gap year student Marsha McDonnell lay groaning in a pool of blood after being struck with a blunt object, the Old Bailey heard this afternoon.

Levi Bellfield, 39, of West Drayton, denies murdering Marsha and French student Amelie Delagrange, 22. He also denies five other charges which include the attempted murders of Kate Sheedy and Irma Dragoshi.

The jury of seven women and five men heard today how Bellfield stalked bus stops looking for women to attack.

Marsha, 19, was attacked after she had been to the cinema in Kingston to watch Catch Me If You Can with two friends on February 3, 2003.

She boarded the H22 bus home to Hampton from Kingston alone and was the only passenger to get off at a stop in Priory Road at 12.18am on February 4.

The court heard that Marsha, who worked at a gift shop in Kingston's Bentall Centre, began to walk to her home in Priory Road. At 12.23am David Fuller who lives in the road heard a thud which sounded like car doors closing' but when he looked out he could not see anything so went back to bed.

Prosecuting Brian Altman said: "He returned to bed but could hear the sound of a continuous moan. He went out to investigate and could see blood on the pavement."

Mr Altman said Mr Fuller called an ambulance and went outside with his wife, Bernadette, and found Marsha lying in a pool of blood on the floor groaning. His wife pulled down her hood and saw more blood.

Nick Radhorn of Wembley Road, Hampton, whose bedroom backs on to Priory Road was woken by the sound of a loud scream.

"It was short and intense," Mr Altman said.

The court was shown footage from a CCTV camera of car headlights close to the time of the attack in Priory Road.

The jury also saw CCTV images from inside the bus which captured what the prosecution said was a silver Vauxhall Corsa passing the bus coming from the other direction, at the same time Marsha was standing waiting for the doors to open. After it passed the bus and Marsha got off, it was seen pulling over and stopping in the mouth of Priory Road. Mr Altman said: "There was no explanation for it stopping where it did and when it did."

He continued: "If the driver of that car was innocently driving past he has never come forward. The prosecution believes there is a very good reason why that person has never made themselves known."

Mr Altman added: "The bus was illuminated, the bus Kate Sheedy also alighted from was also well lit. The illumination also served a far more sinister purpose, it could not have been forseen, it allowed the attacker to see inside. These were the victims of a predatory man who stalked buses in vehicles looking for the young women he attacked."

Marsha was taken to Kingston Hospital where she died on February 5 at 4.41pm with her parents at her bedside.

"Her brain injuries were of such magnitude survival was impossible," Mr Altman said.

The court also heard how Bellfield had a number of connections with the area. An aunt had lived in Hampton, and a former partner had kept horses in stables in Oak Avenue, Hampton, which was the same stables his sister had also kept a pony at in 1988. Bellfield had visited the stables once or twice.

He was also a company director of Atlas Ltd which was based at the business centre in Mount Mews, Hampton, between 1998 and 2000 and would drink in a pub in Oak Avenue.

The trial continues.