Killer admits murdering ex after inflicting 123 injuries

A killer has admitted to murdering his former partner who he left with over 100 injuries including cigarette burns shortly after getting out of prison.

Stephen Todd, 41, left 'tiny' Melissa Eastick with roughly 123 bruises, cuts, fractures and cigarette burns, which were caused during repeated assaults at his home.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Ms Eastick, 36, had also suffered a brain injury which would have left her unconscious for 'some days' before her death.

Todd, of Buttermere Street, Sunderland, initially denied murder and was being tried by a jury until he pleaded guilty to the charge on the second day of the trial before the case got underway.

Prosecutors revealed Todd was only recently out of prison at the time of the murder, having been jailed for assaulting Ms Eastick. He will be sentenced at a later date.

After Todd's courtroom confession, prosecutor Peter Glenser KC told the court: 'He had just been released from prison in relation to an assault on her, weeks before.'

Mr Glenser said Ms Eastick was a frail and vulnerable woman, who had been beaten with enough force to fracture bones on three occasions over several days before she was eventually killed.

The court heard Todd had called 999 at just after 7am on October 17 last year and reported he was unable to wake Ms Eastick, who did not appear to be breathing.

The emergency call handler advised Todd to get Ms Eastick onto the floor and gave him instructions on how to carry out CPR, which he did.

When paramedics arrived at his then home at Stockton Terrace, Sunderland, Todd led them to a dark living room and claimed: 'She was all right yesterday.'

But Mr Glenser said: 'The Crown, the prosecution, say that, like a great deal of what he was to say over the days that followed, was a lie.

'There was no way that Melissa Eastick was "alright yesterday", the day before. It very quickly became apparent that there was very extensive bruising and swelling to her body and face and that she was very cold to the touch.

'When they examined her it was obvious she was dead and her life was formally pronounced extinct at 7.14am.

'It appears that her death was neither quick nor easy. She had sustained more than 100 injuries, probably nearer 123 in the time leading up to her death.

'When she died she was 36 years old. She was a frail and vulnerable individual.'

The court heard Ms Eastick was in Todd's company on October 2 and they were caught on CCTV together in Asda, where they bought food before they returned to his two-bedroom flat.

Mr Glenser told jurors: 'There are no recorded sightings of Melissa Eastick alive after this date, either in person or on CCTV.'

Jurors heard Ms Eastick received a sales call on her mobile from Vodaphone on October 6, which was recorded by the company and showed that she did have a conversation with the employee.

Mr Glenser said that call was the 'last proof of life for Melissa Eastick'.

The court heard when the emergency services arrived at the flat on the 17th, Ms Eastick had facial bruising, fractured ribs, vertebrae, nose and jaw, cigarette burns to her torso and had a brain injury which would have rendered her unconscious for some days before her death.

Mr Glenser said some of the injuries would have been inflicted between four and seven days before her death whereas others were about 72 hours before.

'The prosecution say Miss Eastick was repeatedly assaulted over a period of some days and that these assaults took place in the defendant's flat,' Mr Glenser said.

'He, we say, is responsible for her death and he meant either to kill her or cause her really serious harm and she died as a result of that harm.'

Mr Glenser said specialist evidence indicates Ms Eastick's bone fractures were inflicted at different times, 'separated by days'.

The court heard Todd and Ms Eastick had been partners 'on and off' since around 2018 and both had struggles with alcohol.

Mr Glenser said their relationship had been 'turbulent to say the least' and Ms Eastick had spent time living in a homeless shelter but it appeared she was staying with Todd from around last August.

Todd, who will be sentenced in around two weeks time, told police Ms Eastick had arrived at his home a few days before her death and was already 'black and blue' but had denied responsibility for any of her injuries.