Husband ‘wanted wife to take blame for murder’

A husband tried to persuade his wife to take the blame for the murder of a 20-year-old woman with learning difficulties, because she would “get a lighter sentence”, a court heard.

Susan Whiting was attacked with a blunt object and discovered with a fractured skull, her wrists bound and a plastic bag over her head, the prosecution said as the murder trial opened at Leicester Crown Court.

Steven Beards, 34, of Bentley, West Midlands, is accused of murdering and raping Ms Whiting in Bloxwich last August, while Julie Beards, 35, of Walsall, is accused of murder. Both deny the charges.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.