June Jones: Stab victim was planning to leave partner when killed, jury told
A 33-year-old woman announced she wanted to leave her partner shortly before dying at his hands, a jury heard.
Dennis Cash, a friend of June 'Katie' Jones and her boyfriend of more than eight years Michael 'Mickey' Foran, told Wolverhampton Crown Court: "She told my wife and I she was going to write a letter saying she was going to leave him.
"I think she was going to leave it in the flat where they lived but I don't know.
"She was upset and very nervous. I told her to leave him. She said she was frightened to do so because he had beaten her up once before. I never saw her again."
Foran had arrived with Ms Jones on the visit but was in a different room when the plan was revealed to Mr Cash, who lived near the couple's first-floor flat in Wyndmill Crescent, West Bromwich.
He had known them for some time and had noticed they were always together but after that meeting the defendant came alone on a couple of occasions and twice stayed with him overnight claiming that he could not get into the flat.
Mr Cash washed the grey tracksuit and navy blue zip up jacket worn by Foran who told him he and Ms Jones were "finished" and "he was going to kill her."
Mr Cash told the jury: "I said 'don't be daft.' I thought it was just talk - a joke. I didn't know what to believe.
"He was quite calm after that and didn't mention Katie again."
Ms Jones is thought to have been killed in her flat on December 10 but the body was not found lying in her bath until police broke in at 2am on New Years Eve.
Pc Stephen Hunt, who entered the flat with assistance from a Sandwell Council employee, carried out a room by room search until he got to the bathroom and saw human feet sticking out of the bath.
The Home Office pathologist who conducted the post mortem examination said the victim was probably unconscious after being asphyxiated when she suffered at least 21 knife wounds.
Valery Newman, from Oldbury - the only close relative of Foran living in the area - spoke to him by phone on New Year's Eve after being informed by her cousin in Ireland - Foran's mother - that he had admitted killing his girlfriend.
Ms Newman explained to the court: "I said: 'What have you done?' and he replied: 'Killed Katie.'
"Then I asked why? He said he had 'lost it.'"
Foran admits manslaughter but denies the murder of Ms Jones and the case continues.
