Witness sobs as she tells jury how she found dog walker’s blood-soaked body
Mr and Mrs Precious alerted police and PC Andrew London was one of the first to arrive. He said: “There was a large pool of blood to the side of the track. When I got close to him, there was a massive part of his throat missing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Palmer, of Bawdeswell, Norfolk, admits being in the area but insists he had nothing to do with the killing.
Fellow dog walker Peter Bibby claimed he came face-to-face with Palmer on the day of the attack.
The man he saw was smartly dressed with angular features and “looked a tiny bit Italian.” He had no dog and “seemed a bit out of place”.
After Palmer’s name was mentioned in reports of the police investigation, Mr Bibby searched for him on social media and found his Facebook page.
Prosecutor Stephen Spence asked: “You saw a picture and believed it was the man you saw in the woods?” Mr Bibby replied: “I am certain it was.”
David Spens, QC, defending, suggested Mr Bibby was “mistaken” in thinking the man in the woods and the one on Facebook were the same. He insisted that was not the case.
Ex-RAF officer Christopher Davies also claimed he saw Palmer. “I would describe him as of eastern Mediterranean extraction,” he said.
The court has already been told Palmer allegedly heard voices in his head and had a grudge against dog walkers. The trial continues. Grandfather Peter Wrighton, who was murdered as he walked his dogs, and below, his car parked near the scene