Shallow grave murder victim had 32 injuries on his body

A man who was found dying in a shallow grave at a remote beauty spot had 32 separate sites of injury on his body, murder jurors have heard.

Darren Bonner was naked and unresponsive when police found him in a freshly-dug hole, hidden behind a dry-stone wall in Cresswell, Northumberland in July last year, after being alerted by a passer-by.

Prosecutors claim garage boss Richard Spottiswood “choked the life from” the 24-year-old, who was his employee, then dumped him in the woodland grave because he believed he had “double crossed” him to a drugs rival.

Mr Bonner, from Sunderland, died in hospital 16 days after his fatally-injured body was found, without ever regaining consciousness.

Spottiswood, 34, of Canterbury Way, Jarrow, denies murder and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

Home Office pathologist Dr Mark Egan examined Mr Bonner’s body in hospital in Cramlington, Northumberland, on the day he was found.

He told jurors: “There were a relatively large number of injuries. I labelled 32 separate injuries.”

Dr Egan told the court the injuries were spread over Mr Bonner’s head, neck, torso and limbs and consisted of bruising, abrasions and grazes.

The court heard Mr Bonner’s injuries included what appeared to be marks from a “rod-shaped weapon” on his back and had injuries to his neck, which were consistent with pressure being applied to it.

The pathologist said he also found evidence of deep vein thrombosis, which was a “consequence of the fatal assault”.

Spottiswood told detectives that the hole had been dug for him and Mr Bonner to bury firearms.

He claimed an argument had broken out and Mr Bonner had grabbed for the bag of guns, so he got him in a headlock, in self defence.

The trial continues.