A woman is on trial for allegedly murdering her husband, hiding his body in a bag under grass in their garden.
The court heard details. Maureen Rickards stabbed Jeremy Rickards in the chest and heart. She stored his body in a bedroom cupboard while he was dressed in underwear.
His body was in a bag buried under grass in his garden on St Martin’s Road, near the Canterbury court.
She wrapped him in bin bags and moved him to the garden. She dragged him from the loft down two flights of stairs.
Police found the body on July 11. An officer noticed a strange smell coming from the garden foliage. He had homicide investigation experience.
Two handymen worked in the area. Rickards asked them to cut the grass for a family barbecue. They smelled the odor and thought an animal was dead.
Jeremy was last seen on June 7. She cleaned blood from the carpet. She sent texts to their daughter that seemed to be from Jeremy, saying he was in Saudi Arabia.
She told her worried daughter he died, claiming he killed himself on June 9. The prosecutor said this could be true, speaking against the accused.
The daughter suspected something was wrong. The texts and her mother’s behavior seemed odd. She alerted the police because of this.
His body was badly decomposed and had five stab wounds. Two wounds were deep and hit his heart. He also had many broken ribs and a broken bone in his neck. His nose was fractured.
He had old injuries too that were healing. He had fractured ribs before. He suffered strangulation in the past.
There was another head wound from a sharp object. Metal pieces existed in the wound.
He was seen “battered and bruised” before his death. Occupants, a driver, and pub staff saw it. He frequented the nearby pub.
Maureen Rickards is on trial now, accused of murdering her husband and hiding his body in the garden area.
He suffered domestic abuse that became more severe before his murder.
He was “frail and vulnerable.” Police found recordings on her phone after her arrest where she yelled at him while he lay confused on the floor.
The court heard she voiced her intent to hurt and kill him.
A tenant heard a “thudding noise” early on June 8 or 9. Something heavy was dragged down the stairs. He saw her looking at the sky.
The pathologist found many injuries, some old, some new. The prosecutor spoke of this evidence and stated the injuries weren’t accidental, nor were wounds self-inflicted.
He was a victim of past attacks, suggesting past abuse too.
The prosecutor declared his main point. He said Mr. Rickards suffered severe abuse caused by his wife, leading to death.
He stayed briefly at an Airbnb in May and returned to the house in June. He was last seen June 7. He called customer service the next day.
Tenants were leaving to refurbish the house. Rickards was also preparing a move.
Another occupant saw him June 6, looking injured with bruises.
When asked, he did not explain. He said Maureen was in a bad mood and mad at him and everyone.
He was very frail indeed. A taxi driver said he was too weak to carry bags or knock.
He called his brother on June 4th. This call was unexpected, though welcome. He wanted to stay for a few weeks there because he had “problems with Maureen.”
His brother never heard from him again.
He moved into an Airbnb on June 3 late at night and was very frail. He left June 6, returning to Maureen because he had no money to extend his stay.
He was at the property on June 7. The court knew it “for sure.” Rickards filmed him, and the footage lasted for 20 minutes.
The prosecutor said she was aggressive and hit him. He responded in great pain. She voiced her deadly intention.
On June 27, their daughter received a text that seemed to be from her dad, though he had likely been dead.
He arrived in Saudi Arabia, the text claimed. The words were just like the text sent to Mom.
She used WhatsApp a great deal, messaging her husband this way. She even messaged from his phone, talking to herself and daughter.
She texted her husband, “27 years blessed. Sayonara, my angel. “Have a great life” and “I most definitely will.”
However, she sent another text to her daughter, writing that Mr Rickards killed himself and citing June 9 as his death date.
She used WhatsApp to send these texts, using her phone and Jeremy’s phone.
The texts led the daughter to report her father missing. She was concerned by the cryptic style of the messages.
She messaged him back quickly, asking about her mother taking the phone.
His phone was inside a bag tied up in curtains in her room.
Police found a social media post, too, dated July 1, linking back to her. “RIP James Jeremy RICKARDS is dead!” it said. “Rest in Peace my Love.”
Officers went to the property on July 7, searching for the missing geologist, but did not find him.
Rickards stated they were separated, though he stayed with her sometimes. She hadn’t spoken to him in weeks, and he may have taken a Saudi job, she claimed.
She was first arrested for fraud suspicion, having used his bank card in shops between June 20 and June 30.
Her purchases included alcohol, cigarettes, Doritos, toilet paper, Febreze and carpet cleaner.
The body’s discovery resulted in a re-arrest. She was suspected of murder this time. “Murder? Did you say murder?” she replied. “Found what body?”
The officer handcuffing her noted a thing. He stated she was “strong for her size.” This is what the jury heard.
An insect expert concluded the body was moved from inside and then into the garden between July 3 and 6.
DNA matching Mr Rickards was discovered in carpet bloodstains. They found cleaning supplies were used, too, to try to remove the blood.
Her DNA was on a carpet sample and on the bin bag where they found her husband’s body.
Rickards denies the murder and the charges between June 7 and July 11.
The prosecutor spoke about proofs and told the jury they need evidence. He said one person caused his death, and that person is the defendant.
The trial will last up to three weeks. The court is presided over by Justice Kerr.