LODGER ‘MURDERED LANDLADY AND LIVED WITH HER CORPSE’

Defendant stole benefits, court told

A LODGER murdered his landlady and lived with her decomposing body for more than a month while helping himself to her benefits, a court heard.

Kristian Smith, 42, allegedly shoved clothing up against Antoinette Donnegan’s bedroom door to mask the smell of her rotting corpse.

Ms Donnegan, 52, was last seen on 1 February last year, but her body was not was found until more than a month later, the Old Bailey heard.

Cops arrived at her flat in Battersea, south London, to discover a strong odour coming from the bedroom.

They climbed through a window to find Ms Donnegan’s body slumped in the corner of the room and a pile of clothes shoved in front of the door outside.

Smith used the victim’s bank card and phone and tried to sell her jewellery to fund his drug habit after the killing, jurors were told.

Louis Mably, prosecuting, said it was difficult to know precisely how Ms Donnegan (left) had died due to the state of decomposition.

“It was clear she had been assaulted,” said Ms Mably.

“There was blood on the floor by her head and there was blood on furniture in the bedroom.

“There was a pool of blood around her head and she had cuts to her head.”

The jury heard that Ms

Donnegan and Smith were drug addicts.

Both were being treated with methadone and supported by a local clinic.

Ms Mably said the killer used Ms Donnegan’s bank card to drain her account after she died.

Smith, of no fixed address, has admitted fraud and preventing a lawful burial but denies murder.

The trial continues.