Susan Whiting murder: Accused planned to drug and tie up wife, brother tells court
The brother of a murder suspect told a court how his sibling planned to drug and tie up his wife after she split up with him.
Gary Beards, brother of Steven Beards, recalled how he caught him crushing up pills before finding rope tied to four corners of the bed.
Steven Beards is accused with wife Julie of murdering 20-year-old Walsall woman Susan Whiting. He also faces a charge of rape.
Leicester Crown Court had previously heard how the victim, who suffered from learning difficulties, had been found drugged, raped and murdered at Julie Beards' bungalow in Bloxwich on August 17 last year.
The court heard that prior to Julie Beards moving to Heather Close, where Miss Whiting was found, she and Steven Beards had stayed at his brother's flat for around five months.
He told the court: "They'd been staying with me for about five months. One day I came home and found Steven in tears. He said him and Julie had split up. She had left and all her belongings were gone. I tried to calm him down. Later on I found him crushing up some white tablets and putting the powder in like a little plastic cannabis bag. He was emptying some green and yellow capsules as well and putting that in there. I asked him what he was going to do and he said drug her. He said he was going to pay her back and make her stay. I went into their bedroom they had been staying in and saw blue plastic rope on each corner. He said he was going to tie her up. I went mental and told him to get out. He went straight away."
Douglas Day QC, defending Steven Beards, accused Mr Beards of lying about the rope. He argued: "Did you know about your brother's psychiatric problems? He was trying to kill himself."
Earlier Lynn Owen, Julie Beards' tenancy support worker, was shown a 10-inch hammer that the prosecution believe could have been the murder weapon. When asked if the tool belonged to Steven Beards, she said: "I think so but I can't be sure." She also told how Julie Beards' bungalow was 'unusually clean' when she visited the day before Miss Whiting's body was discovered. She said Julie Beards spoke 'child-like', and had a pram and a garden swing for her teddy 'Thomas', which she treated like a child.
Steven Beards, 34, of Rowland Avenue, Walsall, and Julie Beards, 35, of Heather Close, Walsall, both deny all charges. The trial continues.
