A COURT heard a Chester man was beaten in a chair before being subjected to a series of brutal attacks in his flat where he was found stabbed to death.
Forensic scientist Finlay Kennedy said blood splattering belonging to Andrew Mackenzie Nall left on his lounge room wall indicated the 53-year-old had been in a chair for the first of a series of assaults against him, finishing in the bedroom.
Gary Anthony George, 41, is accused, alongside Christine Margaret Holleran, 50, of murdering Mr Nall at his flat in Eversley Park, off Liverpool Road, in August last year.
Both deny murder although George has admitted killing Mr Nall on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Mr Kennedy told the jury the bloodstains on Mr Nall’s lounge wall were at shoulder level and could have been caused by blood being expelled from Mr Nall’s nose or mouth, although he was unable to determine the exact nature of his assault.
Mr Kennedy pointed to a series of attacks upon Mr Nall which began in the lounge, through to the kitchen and hallway with a number taking place in the bedroom.
He said: “It is my conclusion the individual has been injured while sitting on a chair in the lounge. There also appears to have been an assault while on the floor near the steps of the kitchen area. The individual may have been assaulted in the hallway and while on the floor near the bedroom door in the hallway.
“It appears the individual has been assaulted while on the floor in the bedroom, although it is very likely the assault in that area happened in more than one place.”
Jury members were shown pictures of the bloodied wall above a chair and a blue Pink Panther tie which had been cut up, lay underneath a table along with a knife which had been used on Mr Nall.
Several pairs of paper and nail scissors were found on the dining room table, with one pair having Mr Nall’s blood and body tissue on it, Mr Kennedy told the court.
Mr Nall suffered multiple injuries and was stabbed through the heart and a series of unusual marks had been cut into his face and body. Mr Nall also sustained a series of puncture holes to his ankle, although Mr Kennedy said he could not be sure scissors had been used to make the wounds.
Jurors were shown footage of the murder scene which contained bloodied hand prints and heavy bloodstaining on the walls and bedroom door close to where Mr Nall’s bare chested and battered body was discovered in a pool of blood. Salt is also believed to have been rubbed into his wounds, and there was a creamy substance in his eyes, spatters of which were found on a wardrobe mirror close to where he lay.
Remnants of the creamy substance had been found extensively at the scene, as well as on a mirror upon which a symbol had been drawn also using salt.
The trial at Chester Crown Court has heard how George, of no fixed address, had a keen interest in witchcraft and was said to be a fan of the 2009 cult horror film The Loved Ones in which a man is restrained while salt is rubbed into his wounds.
Police initially arrested George after another homeless man Brian Reilly, was allegedly assaulted with a broken bottle in the subway near the Fountain’s Roundabout on the morning of August 31, a charge which George denies.
(Proceeding)