Woman accused of helping son clear up alleged murder scene must stay in prison
A woman accused of helping her son clear up the scene after he had allegedly beat his partner to death must remain in custody, a judge ruled today.
Suzanne Love, 44, was refused bail amid claims that a bloodied footprint found beside the body of Kathryn Parton matched boots she wore.
Her 24-year-old son, Jamie Love, is charged with murdering Ms Parton at the home in east Belfast they shared on May 9 last year.
Details emerged as legal moves to have the two defendants sent for trial were put on hold due to the scale of evidence in the case.
Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard defence lawyers have just received more than 1,300 pages of witness statements and exhibits, with CCTV recordings still to be examined.
Ms Parton’s body was found in the blood-stained bedroom of the house on Madrid Street.
Post-mortem examinations established that the 34-year-old, known as Kat, died from haemorrhaging, lacerations to the scalp and nasal fractures following a sustained assault to the head which involved no weapons.
Detectives believe she lay undiscovered for six days until her father went to the property amid concerns for wellbeing.
Jamie Love, who was in a relationship with Ms Parton and lived at the address, was charged with her murder based on CCTV and witness evidence.
His mother, from Isoline Street in Belfast, faces counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice and assisting an offender.
A third accused, 23-year-old Reece Oliver of Castleton Gardens in the city, is also charged with assisting an offender.
He drove Suzanne Love to the Madrid Street property to help her son pack up and move out on the night Ms Parton is believed to have been killed, previous courts heard.
The three defendants were then seen on footage leaving the house again with belongings and a dog.
Jamie Love and Oliver spent the next two nights at B&Bs in Strabane and Portaferry allegedly booked and paid for by Suzanne Love.
She initially claimed Ms Parton had been sitting on the floor, crying but unhurt, while she was at the house.
But according to police, two bloodied footprints discovered on a duvet close to the victim’s body suggests that more than one person was present either during or after the victim was attacked.
One was said to be an Ugg boot similar to those worn by Suzanne Love, while a print which allegedly matched Nike trainers worn by her son was also found at the scene.
The same type of footwear subsequently seized from Suzanne Love’s home had been freshly washed and placed outside to dry.
During initial interviews she provided a statement denying any knowledge about the victim’s death and then provided no comment to questions.
However, in a further statement after evidence about the Ugg print and cleaning of footwear was put to her, Suzanne Love told police she accompanied Oliver to Madrid Street to help her son pack up and leave because he had fallen out with Ms Parton.
A preliminary enquiry to establish if both of the pair have cases to answer at trial was adjourned after it emerged that evidential material has just been served on defence representatives.
Suzanne Love’s solicitor, Mark Austin, disclosed: “There are 1,319 pages of depositions… and CCTV still hasn’t been shared.”
Mounting a bail application for his client, he stressed that she now spent more than a year in custody.
“It’s a serious case, but the charges (against her) are that a mother has assisted her son,” Mr Austin submitted.
Police opposed her bid to be released to either of two suggested addresses because both householders have criminal records.
Refusing bail and adjourning the case for two weeks, District Judge Ted Magill stated: “This is not a simple case of assisting an offender.
“Forensics put her at the murder scene itself, and that raises a whole new level of seriousness in regard to what are already serious offences.”