Baggage handler ‘ killed lover in fit of rage trying to steal money for drugs’
A BAGGAGE handler killed his lover in a fit of rage as he attempted to steal money to feed his drug habit, a court heard yesterday.
Jayesh Gobar, 36, is accused of the murder of 58- year- old Nelly Myers, a British Airways customer services host, at her home last December.
Richard Hearnden, prosecuting, told Hove Crown Court that Nelly, who worked at Gatwick Airport, was having a “passionate” relationship with Gobar and was “devoted” to him.
But the prosecutor said the defendant appeared to be “only interested in her money” and a possible motive for the killing was to steal from her.
He told the jury that Gobar, of Crawley, West Sussex, had been jailed in 2018 for robbery after he attacked Nelly in her home before forcing her to take £ 50 from the bank.
Obsessed
Mr Hearnden said that despite Gobar being ordered to stay away from Nelly, the pair were in contact by phone while he was in prison and, following his release in 2019, they continued their relationship.
The prosecutor said: “Mrs Myers fell in love with Mr Gobar… she was totally obsessed with him and was devoted to him.
“What they had was an irregular and turbulent but often passionate acquaintance. Sexual intimacy happened but was infrequent; while she craved company and attention, he on the other hand seemed to be only interested in her money.
“She was always giving him cash and he was using that cash for drugs.”
Mr Hearnden said Nelly was found dead at her home in Rotherfield, East Sussex, on the evening of December 18 after her son James alerted police.
Officers found her lying partially dressed in the hallway having suffered multiple injuries.
Mr Hearnden said a post- mortem examination found that she died of severe head injuries. He said Gobar denied murder and that the defendant claimed Nelly was killed after he left the house. The prosecutor said Gobar’s footprint was found on scattered paperwork in her house and her blood was found on his shoes when he was arrested.
He said: “Gobar was not a professional killer, he killed her in a fit of rage in order to steal from her, thereby to feed a drug habit.”
Mr Hearnden said Nelly was born in Lima, Peru, and worked for the South American country’s national airline before she met and married British Airways pilot Kevin Myers.
She moved to the UK and the couple had two sons, James and David, and lived in Crowborough, East Sussex. She lived alone after the marriage ended in 2014.
The trial continues.