Accrington murder trial: Boy killed teaching assistant in woods and moved body in wheelie bin, court hears
Written by News on 04/08/2020
A teenage boy killed a teaching assistant before moving her body in a wheelie bin and burying her in a makeshift grave, a court has heard.
The body of 47-year-old Lindsay Birbeck was discovered by a dog walker in Accrington Cemetery, Lancashire, in August last year, a retrial at Preston Crown Court was told on Monday.
The 17-year-old male defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, denies murder and manslaughter.
Mrs Birbeck left her home on Burnley Road, Accrington, at about 4pm on 12 August 2019 and headed towards an area of woodland known as The Coppice.
Prosecutors claim the mother-of-two was killed somewhere in the woodland shortly after.
David McLachlan QC, prosecuting, told the court: “The prosecution case is that her killer is the young man who sits in the dock of the court.”
Mr McLachlan said the defendant, who was aged 16 at the time, was seen on CCTV that afternoon in the same area.
Later that evening he was seen taking a blue wheelie bin towards the woodland, which the prosecution alleges was used to conceal Mrs Birbeck’s body.
She was reported missing by her family just after midnight and police launched an investigation into her disappearance.
Five days later the defendant was seen moving a wheelie bin from the woodland to the cemetery, the jury heard.
Mr McLachlan said: “Several witnesses saw a male pulling a wheelie bin. The wheelie bin appeared this time to be heavy.
“The prosecution case is that the reason for this is simple and straightforward: the wheelie bin now contained the body of Lindsay Birbeck.”
Morgan Parkinson had been walking in the cemetery on 24 August when his dog ran into a wooded area, the court heard.
When he followed to pull the dog away he saw a plastic cover and what appeared to be a leg, the prosecutor said.
Mr Parkinson called the police and officers found a body in a shallow ditch.
The court heard the defendant, who had an intermediary with him in the dock, had autism and special educational needs.
The socially distanced trial is taking place across three courtrooms.
Relatives of Mrs Birbeck as well as the defendant’s parents and members of the press are watching the case from separate rooms to the jury and counsel.
Judge Mrs Justice Yip told jurors a trial had been held in February but it was not possible to finish it and the jury was discharged.
She said: “You can rest assured that the problem that led to the jury being discharged last time was not in any way the fault of anyone involved in this case.”
The trial continues.
(c) Sky News 2020: Accrington murder trial: Boy killed teaching assistant in woods and moved body in wheelie bin, court hears
