Mum ‘planned split with ex’ days before her death
AMUM told her best friend she would be splitting with her ex-husband for good just days before she was found dead, a murder trial heard.
Russell Norman James Marsh, 29, is accused of killing his ex-wife, Jade Ward. He also denies an alternative charge of manslaughter.
Taylor Wesley, Ms Ward’s best friend, told a jury on day five of the trial at Mold Crown Court yesterday that Jade confided in her about leaving Marsh “for good”.
She claimed Ms Ward had only previously stayed with Marsh “for the sake of the boys” they had together.
Ms Wesley told the jury about a conversation between her and Ms Ward on August 20 – five days before Jade’s body was found under a pile of clothes and covered in injuries.
Ms Wesley said her friend planned on ending her relationship with Marsh that weekend.
She remembered Ms Ward being “like a giddy schoolkid” having found “a glimpse of happiness” at the prospect of a new relationship.
Ms Wesley told the jury that she spoke to Ms Ward on August 22, after she had left Marsh.
From that day on, Ms Ward would get “constant” calls from Marsh accusing her of having been unfaithful. Ms Wesley insisted her friend was “not like that”.
On the night before Jade’s body was discovered, Marsh was “non-stop” calling the mother of his children, Ms Wesley said.
Ms Ward shared concerns that Marsh would come back to the house. Ms Wesley offered to stay that night but Ms Ward declined, saying they were “just a few doors away” and that Marsh “wouldn’t do anything whilst the kids were there”.
The court heard Ms Wesley say “everything changed” when Marsh and Ms Ward got married in March 2019. She said Marsh acted as if Ms Ward was “his property” and used the word “controlling” to describe the power plant worker.
She recalled how Ms Ward “didn’t want a broken home” for her children.
Ms Wesley told the court that her friend made comments about Marsh that left her “skin crawling” and feeling “physically sick”.
She went on to claim Marsh had admitted in a room full of people that if he couldn’t have sex while she was awake, he’d “get it” while [Ms Ward] was asleep.
It was said that he “laughed this off”
Ms Wesley told the court that she’d sat Ms Ward down to say “that was basically rape” and said she’d have to report him.
However, Ms Ward said she couldn’t, adding that she didn’t want her children thinking their dad was “like that”.
Defending, Christopher Terhani QC said Marsh had made claims that Ms Wesley was a “bad influence” on Ms Ward, encouraging her to stay out late drinking and leave her children at home.
Ms Wesley said this was “complete rubbish”.
Mr Terhani told the court that Ms Wesley has been prominent in campaigning on social media to get justice for her friend.
He made further suggestions that she sought to “blacken” Marsh’s character by being selective with her memory – something she strongly denied.
The trial continues.