A dying grandmother uttered the word “liar” after a homeowner threw her out on the street after she mistook his grand home for a seaside hotel, a murder trial was said.
David Redfern, 46, called 999 for medical help after beating frail Margaret Barnes, 71, to death when she mistook his five-story seaside home in Barmouth, Wales for a B&B and entered .
A court heard that Mrs Barnes had bought a bottle of gin and taken an evening stroll in July of last year.
She went into an upstairs bedroom, undressed, unpacked, removed her false teeth and put them on a nightstand and poured herself a gin into a glass while holding a bottle of tonic.
She got into a bed before being discovered by Mr Redfern, who dragged her downstairs by her feet before furiously attacking her and throwing her suitcase into the street, the court heard.
Margaret Barnes, 71, (pictured) died after sustaining injuries “consistent with a high-speed collision.” She is said to have uttered the word ‘lie’ while she was dying.
David Redfern, 46, (pictured) called 999 for medical help after he beat frail 71-year-old Margaret Barnes, 71, to death when she mistook his five-storey seaside home in Barmouth, Wales , with a B&B and entered.
The court heard that there was a mix up and Ms Barnes ended up walking towards Belmont House (pictured)
Ms. Barnes went into cardiac arrest when neighbors tried to revive her. She died at the scene from ‘traumatic injuries’.
A post-mortem examination found that she had a traumatic liver injury and was bleeding heavily internally.
The court heard that his injuries were similar to the blunt force trauma expected in a high-speed traffic accident.
Prosecutor Michael Jones KC said Ms Barnes suffered ‘totally gratuitous’ and ‘totally unjustified’ by Mr Redfern.
Prosecutor Jones said: “Mrs Barnes had been drinking and if she thought this was Wavecrest, she went in and lay down.”
He confused the defendant’s address with that of the B&B, but it was a mistake that ultimately cost him his life.
Mr Jones added: “The reason Mrs Barnes died is that she had the misfortune to come across a man who was an angry bully.”
Her husband Raymond identified her to the police.
Margaret Barnes had booked to stay at Wavecrest B&B (pictured) on Marine Parade, Barmouth
Once inside, Ms. Banes took herself to a room and fell asleep (Pictured: a room at Belmont House)
The court heard that Margaret Barnes was dragged down the property’s stairs. Pictured: Inside the Belmont House
Mr Redfern, of Barmouth, denies both the murder and manslaughter of Mrs Barnes.
The jury heard a recording of him saying, “All I did was kick her out of my house,” as he sought medical help for the retired Mrs. Barnes.
The bank worker, Mr Redfern, denied hearing her say “lie” with her dying breaths, explaining that he had mistaken her for a thief.
Ms. Barnes had suffered serious injuries when he dragged her out of her house by her feet in an “angry reaction” to his mistake at her house.
On the recording, he said, “There’s nothing wrong with her and all she is is bullshit.”
Redfern was described in court as an angry bully. He told police in interviews that Mrs. Barnes, from Birmingham, had been aggressive and had pounced on her partner.
David Redfern, 46, denies murder and manslaughter. He was furious when he saw that grandmother Margaret Barnes, 71, had stripped, unpacked and climbed into a bed at her home in Barmouth, Caernarfon Crown Court was told.
The court heard that she “simply mistook” her large, five-story seaside home for her hotel after traveling more than 100 miles to a seaside resort to rest.
Mrs. Barnes, a retired workman, had booked into the Wavecrest B&B several doors away on Marine Parade, Barmouth, after traveling from Birmingham.
However, she mistook Mr. Redfern’s large waterfront home called the Belmont House for the B&B, entered the wrong house, and fell asleep.
Belmont House, just down the street from Marine Parade, was a former hotel that Mr Redfern and his partner Nicola Learoyd-Lewis were renovating.
Redfern denied hearing the dying Mrs. Barnes say “lie.”
He accepted that the whole situation had been “out of control” but denied being an aggressive person.
He asked the detectives: ‘How would you react if someone broke into your house and sat on your bed? If there is an instruction manual for this, please share it with me.’
In his last interview with police, Redfern said in a prepared statement: “I did not intend to cause harm to the victim. I deny kicking the victim.
“I did not realize the severity of the victim’s injuries until her symptoms became more acute.”
He said he had been “petrified and scared” and claimed he “pushed” her outside with a “bear hug”.
The trial at Caernarfon Crown Court is expected to last around three weeks.
