Nuneaton News Court told of accused mum’s police interview

A MOTHER told police that her son tried to kill himself just weeks before he is accused of murdering a Nuneaton mum-offour, a court has heard.

Dominic Wallis is accused of killing Dionne Clark after the 27-yearold’s body was found at a home in Cornish Close, off Ansley Common, on June 17 this year.

Wallis, 28, denies murder and is standing trial at Birmingham Crown Court alongside Elizabeth Ellis, 19, who is also accused of Miss Clark’s murder.

The jury previously heard that Miss Clark’s body was found with a large number of “significant injuries” to her head and face.

Dominic’s parents – Karen and Kingsley Wallis, 58 and 55, – are also standing trial for charges of perverting the course of justice.

And it was following Karen Wallis’ arrest that she told police about her son’s mental health issues.

During her interviews while in custody, Karen Wallis, 58, had told Detective Constable Justin Brown and colleagues that Dominic had tried to commit suicide a few weeks before Miss Clark’s death.

She added that his medication had been changed but it “hadn’t stopped him hearing the voices”.

Karen Wallis also said in the interview – which Det Con Brown guided the jury through yesterday - that Dominic had told her that “he wanted nothing more than to wake up and feel like a normal person”.

The court heard that Det Con Brown led an interview with Karen Wallis on June 20 following her arrest and at that point her solicitor produced a prepared statement on her behalf, which stated: “I have been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice - I have not done so.

“I have provided police with statements on June 17 and 18. I gave true full accounts of my knowledge of the events of June 16 and 17.”

The statement also said that Karen Wallis “did not try to mislead police or withhold any information”.

She then answered “no comment” to a number of questions, but did confirm that she contacted police by calling 999 at around 10.20pm on June 17. She also stated: “I have done everything I can to assist the officers when they came.

“The phone call was the hardest call I’ve ever had to make as a mother when there was a dead girl on the floor and my son is not very well.

“I’m devastated what has happened to this girl. I would hate to be her parents, her mother.”

Having been arrested once again on August 15, Karen Wallis was quizzed by Det Con Brown on exactly what Dominic had said to her on June 17 about Dionne Clark’s death.

She replied: “I remember him saying ‘she’s dead, she’s dead.’”

Karen said she did not know if this was Dominic’s psychosis making him say this to begin with and added that she couldn’t “get any proper sense” out of Ellis, who was also there, either.

Officers were then told by Karen that she suddenly realised “this is real” and managed to find out from Dominic that Miss Clark was “dead on the floor”.

Karen Wallis told officers that she rang 999 about 20 minutes after Dominic had told her about Miss Clark’s body being at the house in Cornish Close.

She said that Dominic knew she was calling an ambulance and “wanted” her to do so.

When asked if Ellis was aware of the 999 call being made, Karen replied: “That was one of the things I couldn’t get my head around.

“While Dominic was weird, she didn’t seem particularly...I wish I could explain it.

“Maybe she was still in shock, but maybe this is how she deals with things.”

Karen again said that she cannot be sure what time Dominic and Ellis had first come to her shop in Galley Common on June 17.

The trial continues.