Chef ‘killed two partners but convinced police they were natural deaths’
A CHEF allegedly killed two of his girlfriends five years apart – but the police and coroners believed that they were natural deaths, a court heard.
Robert Trigg, 52, a “possessive” and “controlling” partner, killed Caroline Devlin, 35, in 2006 and Susan Nicholson, 52, in 2011, a jury at Lewes Crown Court heard.
Both deaths were recorded as being caused by accidental or natural causes, and he was treated “as a bereaved partner”, said prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC. He was interviewed as a suspect in relation to the deaths in November last year.
Mr Trigg did not call the emergency services but left others to do so – in one case allowing the victim’s child to find her body on Mother’s Day.
Mr Atkinson said the deaths were the result of “instinctive and almost spontaneous violence” and were “not the result of an accident”. He added: “He was possessive and controlling.”
Mr Trigg has since been convicted of violence and harassment towards two other partners, the court heard.
He is charged with the manslaughter of Caroline Devlin, 35, who was found dead in bed by her young child as they went to ask what she wanted for breakfast at home in Worthing on March 26, 2006. The court heard a post-mortem examination recorded Ms Devlin’s death as being caused by an aneurysm – although there was “no physical finding” to support that.
Pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary told the court that mother-of-four Ms Devlin’s death was caused by a blow to the back of her head. After one alleged outburst of aggression by Mr Trigg, Ms Devlin “prophetically” said: “I won’t be here for my 40th,” the court heard.
Bridget Benger, a neighbour and close friend, fought back tears as she told jurors: “We made a pact that, because we were single parents, if anything happened we would be there for each other’s kids.”
Ms Benger, who described Ms Devlin as a “lovely lady”, recalled Ms Devlin’s eldest son knocking on her door, telling her: “We can’t wake mummy.”
Mr Trigg was at the bottom of the stairs and appeared “vacant” and Ms Devlin was lying face down on the bed, she added. Under cross-examination, Ms Benger also said Mr Trigg seemed to care for Ms Devlin and was openly affectionate towards her.
Mr Trigg has been charged with Ms Devlin’s manslaughter after “significant similarities” arose with the death of another partner in 2011, Mr Atkinson said. He is also charged with the murder of Susan Nicholson, whose body was found on a sofa they had both slept on in Worthing, West Sussex, on April 17 2011.
The pair had drunk about a bottle-and-a-half of vodka before falling asleep, the court heard. Mr Trigg told emergency services she had died after he accidentally rolled onto her in his sleep while they were on the sofa.
He said he had awoken with his stomach covering her face, and thought “Oh my God, my body is completely covering her face, this is dangerous”.
He claimed he had then panicked and gone to buy cigarettes in the hope she would be awake when he returned. But Dr Cary said that deliberate suffo- cation was more likely. He said: “It is very unlikely that someone asleep on a sofa with another could cause death... by simply rolling onto them.”
In March 2011, Mr Trigg was cautioned by police for battery after a row he had with Ms Nicholson, who was punched in the face. Hannah Cooper, a neighbour, said the pair had a “volatile and violent” relationship. Police were called at least six times.
The court heard that after going to a shop to buy cigarettes and calling his brother Michael, Mr Trigg called Ms Cooper and said: “It’s Sue, I think she’s dead.” She then called 999. Mr Trigg, of Worthing, denies murder and manslaughter. The case continues.