Strood Woman on Trial for Murder Stabbing Partner Eating Pizza

Alan Tomkins was the victim. Police found him dead in his Strood flat with a large, 17cm blade protruding from his back. His girlfriend, Nina Mercer, is accused of the crime. She is said to have used Class A drugs and allegedly stabbed him with such force that the knife went 23cm into his body. Police found him in dried blood after friends became concerned and called them.

Mercer sometimes lived in Tomkins’ flat, and other times in a tent. The alleged murder happened July 23 last year, following a row after they ordered pizza from Papa Johns. Mercer stabbed Tomkins multiple times, leaving a neck wound, and then fled.

Afterward, she asked Lee Robinson for help to cover it up. They returned to the flat, where Robinson allegedly stole Tomkins’ wallet and used the card to buy groceries. The pizza was delivered around 6:00 PM, shortly before his death. The delivery driver saw no injuries, and only Tomkins and Mercer were present.

The couple had a difficult relationship. Tomkins drank heavily, and Mercer used Class A drugs. The knife was lodged deep in his body, approximately 23cm deep. Mercer, addicted to drugs, often called the police to report Tomkins assaulting her, though the prosecutor suggested some reports seemed false, noting she was intoxicated during these calls.

Tomkins also reported Mercer to the police, although he never filed charges. Their relationship appeared transactional, with him offering money and a flat and her providing company. The prosecutor acknowledged that Tomkins had reasons not to be liked and that he funded Mercer’s drug habit. A friend tried to meet Tomkins the next day, but he did not show up.

The friend then called the police, who went to his flat on Friday, July 26, and found Tomkins dead just after midnight. He was in the hallway, surrounded by dried blood, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Blood stained the walls and he had six stab wounds, including defensive wounds on his hand indicating he tried to block the knife. The deep knife wounds went through organs into his heart, with other stab wounds including his neck and shoulder.

The prosecutor argued it was not self-defense, asserting that Nina Mercer committed the murder. Mercer fled the flat, leaving Tomkins “dead or to bleed out.” She then called Robinson, who knew Tomkins, and Robinson looted the wallet. They discarded bloody clothes, including a Nirvana t-shirt. CCTV footage showed Mercer returning to the flat several times.

She texted Tomkins’ phone after his death in an attempt to cover her tracks. Police arrested her at the flat. She gave a prepared statement denying the killing during the interview. Now she admits she did it.

The prosecution questions her defense. She may not remember the killing but now accepts responsibility for his death, having covered her tracks after the killing. She enlisted Robinson’s help, they say. Robinson helped dispose of the bloodied shirt, and he faces charges for assisting her.

Robinson drove Mercer from the scene and is also charged with theft and fraud for stealing Tomkins’ wallet and another man’s cards too. While Robinson admitted to these charges, he denies assisting an offender, despite allegedly helping hide the shirt, which has never been found.

Part of the pizza was left uneaten alongside unfinished wine, suggesting he was killed soon after delivery. Mercer had little money at the time, awaiting benefit payments.

Only Mercer knows what caused her to kill Tomkins. The act was unjustified. She murdered Tomkins, the prosecution says, and Robinson helped her by using the dead man’s wallet. Tomkins’ history includes sex offenses against children, but this does not justify killing him.

The first witness will be a pathologist who will explain Tomkins’ wounds. Then detectives will testify. He was stabbed repeatedly, and it was not self-defense. He was left to bleed out. The 17cm blade was embedded, and they tried to cover it up. Both lied, the court says.

A knife in the back is murder. The trial continues.