Maureen Rickards is accused of murdering her husband, whose body was found hidden in a bag in her garden.
Police went to her home last year looking for Jeremy Rickards. He had been missing for a month, and he was a geologist. His wife used his bank cards and went shopping at stores. Police decided to arrest her, suspecting her of fraud.
Officers arrived at her house and searched her messy room, which smelled like death. Then, they went outside. They found a big bag in the garden under grass. The smell was terrible, and one officer called it unforgettable.
Jeremy Rickards was inside the bag in underwear, in a fetal position and covered in plastic sacks. He was 65. His body was decomposing and had five stab wounds in his chest, two of which went into his heart.
He also had broken ribs and a fractured neck. Some were old injuries that happened weeks before. Prosecutors allege his wife murdered him. They were separated, and she had been violent before.
The jury heard a recording today where Rickards threatened to kill her husband just before the alleged murder. He pleaded, “Stop hitting me,” and “Please stop.” These words were also on tape.
Police arrived at her home around noon the day they found the body. Family reported Mr. Rickards missing six days prior. His wife used his cards to buy shampoo and air freshener.
PC Bramwell testified in court. He and his partner looked for evidence, focusing on bank accounts. He knocked on the door, and a woman answered. He asked for Maureen Rickards, but she said she was not her.
The officer asked about Maureen, but the woman was evasive and didn’t like the police. Next, she asked to use the toilet. PC Mayo called her phone, and the ringing came from the toilet. The woman then admitted who she was, saying she was Maureen Rickards.
Rickards became agitated and talked about her husband’s location. She claimed he was drunk and had been beaten up at a pub. Rickards was arrested for fraud, and then they searched the house.
She was the only resident then, as tenants moved out for repairs. Her room was still cluttered and full of items. PC Mayo said the room smelled like death. He initially thought it was chicken, and the heating was also on.
They checked the garden and found a gap in the plants with piles of grass and maggots crawling around. They saw a large holdall that was pulled out. The smell was extreme, and the police knew it came from a dead body.
PC Mayo said it was indescribable and he almost got sick. PC Bowes helped his colleagues and opened the bag to confirm it contained a body. He described seeing a body and said it disturbed him.
Police first contacted Rickards on July 7, asking about the missing person and visiting the property. PC Al-Mahmood said she seemed distracted and became agitated, saying her husband gave money to her daughter.
She said she last saw him weeks ago when they had been on vacation in Grenada. She mentioned his job in Saudi Arabia and visits to his brother. Her husband drank too much and also suffered from depression.
Rickards spoke in tangents and seemed frail, using a walking stick during the visit later that day. She showed the officer a photo, then felt unwell. The officer left and did not go into the garden.
Rickards’ lawyer questioned the officers, suggesting their accounts were inaccurate, but they all disagreed with her. Prosecutors believed she stabbed her husband and stored his body in the loft before moving him to the garden in the holdall.
Recordings were played for the jury. These were video clips on her phone showing Mr. Rickards seeming confused while his wife yelled at him before he disappeared. He cried out in pain and was being hit in the videos, asking to go to the hospital. Rickards said she would kill him soon. He pleaded for her to stop, which also happened on the recordings.
He last contacted EE and added credit to his phone the next day. The prosecution said the videos showed abuse that became worse in his final days.
One video showed him on the floor struggling to get up. His wife told him to leave and sounded aggressive, saying to get him out of her life and that he could not get up. She asked if he was drunk and said she wanted a divorce.
Rickards asked why he punished her, saying he deprived her of school. He said he drank too much beer. She said he put her “through hell” and mentioned wanting a divorce.
She called him “British boy” as he sat in a chair and didn’t answer her. He begged to go to the hospital, but she said he could not go as there were cries of pain, and she also allegedly threatened to kill him.
A neighbor noticed a strange smell on June 14 while preparing her garden. Oksana Kandaurova described it as not smelling like garbage or an animal. She had never smelled anything like that.
The prosecutor asked about the smell’s strength, and she said it was very unpleasant and she didn’t know how to describe it. The neighbor testified on cross-examination that guests also noticed the smell at their gathering.
Rickards denies murder. The trial continues in court.