‘Loud screams’ heard before death of man
TWO FRIENDS WHO SHARED A FLAT WERE OFTEN SHOUTING AND ARGUING, MURDER TRIAL TOLD
A WOMAN told a murder trial that a man found dead in his bed was a “very quiet” neighbour – until the man accused of his killing moved in to look after him during lockdown.
Benjamin Bracegirdle is alleged to have killed Michael McNee, 40, in the home they shared in Chestnut Court, off Leicester Road, Mountsorrel, on the night of Thursday, May 21. He has denied the charge.
A witness who took to the stand at Leicester Crown Court yesterday said: “When Michael lived on his own, he was very quiet.”
But she said after Bracegirdle moved in there were “a lot of parties” and drug-taking and “they were arguing all the time”.
She said the pair usually kept the windows of their ground floor flat open and their disputes were often overheard by neighbours.
The witness said: “You could hear arguing, shouting, doors slamming, swearing and abuse.
“There was always a lot of shouting by Ben, saying things like ‘I can’t cope with you any longer...’
“It was mainly Ben I would hear, along with crashing and slamming doors. You didn’t hear Michael hardly at all.”
She said she saw Mr McNee about four to six weeks before his death with two black eyes and he told her, “Ben headbutted me”. But she later overheard him telling other residents he bruised his eyes by falling over.
She added that she heard “highpitched screaming” coming from Mr McNee’s flat at about 11.30pm on the night the alleged murder took place.
Other neighbours at Chestnut Court told the court they often heard arguments between the two friends.
Complaints about noise and antisocial behaviour were made to the police and the local authority, but nothing was done to move Bracegirdle due to the pandemic, although the noisy parties eventually stopped.
The court heard Bracegirdle, who formerly lived at the Falcon Centre, Pinfold Gate, Loughborough, moved in to care for Mr McNee after he was released from hospital following a number of health problems.
A neighbour, who lived directly above the pair, told the jury he was aware they drank regularly and described the smell of cannabis from their flat filtering upstairs into his. He claimed he had previously overheard Mr McNee saying to Bracegirdle: “Can you please stop hitting me?”
The night before Mr McNee died, he said he heard both men shouting and screaming at each other at about 8pm which “continued for some time”.
The noise resumed at just after 11pm, with Mr McNee allegedly shouting: “Please, leave me alone.”
The witness added: “Ben was screaming and shouting at Michael and it went on until after midnight.
“Michael was saying ‘Please, stop hitting me’ and ‘go away’ and there were pots and pans banging.”
Other neighbours described hearing loud shouting from a male in Mr McNee’s flat at about 5pm on the day before he died, and a young woman told the jury she was woken up at 2am to the sound of “banging and shouting” that went on for about five minutes.
Mr McNee’s lifeless body was discovered in his bedroom the next day by Bracegirdle, who denies any physical violence had taken place.
The prosecution alleges Mr McNee suffered a blunt force injury, either by a weapon or a shod foot, that caused fatal internal bleeding.
Another witness told the court she heard whipping sounds coming from Mr McNee’s flat on the night before he died.
She told the jury that on hearing of the death, she thought that Bracegirdle had killed Mr McNee and told a police sergeant at the scene: “If he’s been murdered, I heard whipping last night.”
During cross-examination of the witness, defence barrister Isabella Forshall QC said: “You were convinced Ben had killed him?” “Yes, I am,” she said.
The trial continues.