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| 'Hammer attack plot' on mum-to-be | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A man tried to kill his heavily pregnant partner and their unborn child in order to inherit hundreds of thousands of pounds, a trial has heard. | A man tried to kill his heavily pregnant partner and their unborn child in order to inherit hundreds of thousands of pounds, a trial has heard. |
| Simon Morris allegedly smashed Nerys Price's skull with a hammer as the £50,000-a-year manager slept at their home in Prestatyn, Denbighshire. | Simon Morris allegedly smashed Nerys Price's skull with a hammer as the £50,000-a-year manager slept at their home in Prestatyn, Denbighshire. |
| Ms Price told Mold Crown Court council highways officer Mr Morris, 36, stood to inherit about £500,000. | |
| He denies attempted murder and attempted child destruction. | He denies attempted murder and attempted child destruction. |
| Ms Price, 34, recovered after neurosurgery and her daughter Freya was born successfully by emergency Caesarian section, the trial was told. | Ms Price, 34, recovered after neurosurgery and her daughter Freya was born successfully by emergency Caesarian section, the trial was told. |
| Prosecuting, Patrick Harrington QC said there were two motives for Mr Morris wanting to kill his partner. | Prosecuting, Patrick Harrington QC said there were two motives for Mr Morris wanting to kill his partner. |
| The first, Mr Harrington said, was that he was in a relationship with another woman. | The first, Mr Harrington said, was that he was in a relationship with another woman. |
| Secondly, he said Mr Morris had "planned and plotted" and "put himself in a position where he would have inherited hundreds of thousands of pounds". | Secondly, he said Mr Morris had "planned and plotted" and "put himself in a position where he would have inherited hundreds of thousands of pounds". |
| For his own wicked reasons and what really are a wicked pair of crimes, he determined to kill his own partner Patrick Harrington QC, prosecuting | For his own wicked reasons and what really are a wicked pair of crimes, he determined to kill his own partner Patrick Harrington QC, prosecuting |
| The jury heard Ms Price, a divorcee, earned almost £50,000 as a human resources manager. | The jury heard Ms Price, a divorcee, earned almost £50,000 as a human resources manager. |
| Shortly before the attack on 15 August 2008, she had made Mr Morris the sole beneficiary of a £145,000 "death in service" award if she died. | Shortly before the attack on 15 August 2008, she had made Mr Morris the sole beneficiary of a £145,000 "death in service" award if she died. |
| Mr Harrington said he would "scoop the lot if he managed to kill her." | Mr Harrington said he would "scoop the lot if he managed to kill her." |
| The barrister said Mr Morris also stood to benefit from 55% of Ms Price's estate, which included about £70,000 from the recent sale of a house. | The barrister said Mr Morris also stood to benefit from 55% of Ms Price's estate, which included about £70,000 from the recent sale of a house. |
| He added that Mr Morris recently persuaded Ms Price they should organise wills, claiming he wanted her and the child "secure" futures. | He added that Mr Morris recently persuaded Ms Price they should organise wills, claiming he wanted her and the child "secure" futures. |
| Mr Harrington said: "The attack was intended to be made to look as though an intruder had broken into the house. The prosecution submit that the truth is very, very different." | Mr Harrington said: "The attack was intended to be made to look as though an intruder had broken into the house. The prosecution submit that the truth is very, very different." |
| 'Induced panic' | 'Induced panic' |
| "The perpetrator of this attack was the defendant Simon Morris. For his own wicked reasons and what really are a wicked pair of crimes, he determined to kill his own partner." | "The perpetrator of this attack was the defendant Simon Morris. For his own wicked reasons and what really are a wicked pair of crimes, he determined to kill his own partner." |
| Giving evidence, Ms Price said Mr Morris had stood to inherit approximately "half a million" if she had died. | |
| She told how she had gone to bed at about 2300 BST on 14 August, but awoke a couple of hours later. | |
| She said: "I remember waking up and Simon was sat on the edge of the bed and said that he could hear somebody outside or something outside. That was about one o'clock in the morning." | |
| Asked what was the next thing she remembered, she said:"Simon trying to push me down back onto the bed by my shoulders saying that we had been attacked and that I had been hit and that there was someone in the house." | |
| Also in evidence she said she heard a creaking noise as if someone was "going over the kitchen floor", while Mr Morris was still in the bedroom. | |
| I went to grab the phone off him and he snatched it back. I used my own mobile Nerys Price | |
| She told the jury Mr Morris was "quite frantic" and she was trying to calm him down. | |
| The court heard she told him to go and check downstairs. | |
| Asked if he went, she replied "eventually". | |
| The jury was told Mr Morris had a phone in his hand but was unable to ring police. | |
| Ms Price said: "I went to grab the phone off him and he snatched it back I used my own mobile." | |
| The jury was played a tape recording of her 999 call and were shown pictures of her head injuries. They were also shown a 3D simulation of how it is thought the hammer hit her skull. | |
| Laminate flooring | |
| Asked if Mr Morris asked to see her injuries at the time, she replied: "No". | |
| Under cross examination from Nicholas Johnson QC, Ms Price agreed her former partner was "quite a nervous individual", despite his size and had never been a violent man. | |
| Asked what could have made the noise she thought she heard on the laminate flooring, she replied:"I don't know." | |
| The court heard the couple met in 2006. By the time of the attack, she was 38 weeks pregnant. | The court heard the couple met in 2006. By the time of the attack, she was 38 weeks pregnant. |
| However, Mr Morris, a Denbighshire council worker, was in a relationship with another woman and also had a "Facebook girlfriend". | However, Mr Morris, a Denbighshire council worker, was in a relationship with another woman and also had a "Facebook girlfriend". |
| The prosecution claimed that he had earlier staged an attempted burglary at their home and on the day of the attack removed the front of the cat flap. | The prosecution claimed that he had earlier staged an attempted burglary at their home and on the day of the attack removed the front of the cat flap. |
| He also left a spirit level outside to make it look as if an intruder had used it to open the catch on the door - something he had seen a daughter of a former partner do when she locked herself out. | He also left a spirit level outside to make it look as if an intruder had used it to open the catch on the door - something he had seen a daughter of a former partner do when she locked herself out. |
| Police dog | |
| Mr Harrington said Mr Morris struck her twice with the hammer but when she later woke from unconsciousness "this induced panic" in the defendant. | Mr Harrington said Mr Morris struck her twice with the hammer but when she later woke from unconsciousness "this induced panic" in the defendant. |
| He said that they had been attacked by an intruder and the police were called. | He said that they had been attacked by an intruder and the police were called. |
| A police dog could not track any intruders. | A police dog could not track any intruders. |
| Mr Morris told police at the scene that they had been asleep but something caused him to wake up and he was aware of a presence in the room before someone attacked them. | Mr Morris told police at the scene that they had been asleep but something caused him to wake up and he was aware of a presence in the room before someone attacked them. |
| He said that he instinctively covered Ms Price with his own body to protect her as she was nearly nine months pregnant. | He said that he instinctively covered Ms Price with his own body to protect her as she was nearly nine months pregnant. |
| The defendant said that he felt something make contact with his back and he tried lashing out behind him, thinking that there was someone there. | The defendant said that he felt something make contact with his back and he tried lashing out behind him, thinking that there was someone there. |
| Mr Harrington said although Mr Morris' attempt to disguise the attack may have had superficial attraction to the uninformed, to the dedicated team who investigated the crime, the truth soon became apparent. | Mr Harrington said although Mr Morris' attempt to disguise the attack may have had superficial attraction to the uninformed, to the dedicated team who investigated the crime, the truth soon became apparent. |
| Officers at the scene remember Mr Morris' behaviour to be odd. | Officers at the scene remember Mr Morris' behaviour to be odd. |
| Mr Harrington said: "It seemed to them that he didn't seem to be caring much about Ms Price. One of the officers mouthed the word 'domestic' to his sergeant, who nodded in agreement." | Mr Harrington said: "It seemed to them that he didn't seem to be caring much about Ms Price. One of the officers mouthed the word 'domestic' to his sergeant, who nodded in agreement." |
| The case continues. | The case continues. |