A homeowner who dragged a grandmother down the stairs after she mistook his seaside home for a B&B inflicted ‘catastrophic’ liver injury on the 71-year-old man during the brutal attack, a court has heard.
Frail Margaret Barnes was allegedly attacked after mistakenly going to David Redfern’s five-story house instead of staying a few houses down the seafront in Barmouth, Wales.
A court heard that Mrs Barnes, ‘drunk’, stripped naked, unpacked and climbed into a bed at her home before being discovered by an angry Redfern, who dragged her down the stairs by her feet.
He is said to have then thrown her into the street, with medical experts saying the attack on July 11 last year left her with damage similar to that of a car accident.
The murder trial at Caernarfon Crown Court previously heard that Ms Barnes uttered the word “liar” when Redfern told 999 that he thought she was a thief.
Margaret Barnes (pictured) suffered fatal injuries after allegedly being attacked after mistaking a stranger’s home for a B&B.
David Redfern (pictured) is claimed to have dragged the grandmother down the stairs, causing ‘catastrophic’ liver damage.
Jurors were told today that the grandmother suffered a “catastrophic deep tear” of her liver during the attack, with damage so severe that it fell apart when it was removed from her body.
Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers said: “You couldn’t survive that degree of liver damage.”
“The rupture and damage to the liver is a reflection of the degree of force and reminded me of the impact damage you would see to a liver after a traffic collision.”
He believed it was “severe blunt force trauma” with bruising consistent with a blunt force kick or stomp.
Ms Barnes also suffered bruises and broken ribs in the alleged attack by senior bank clerk Redfern at her home in Barmouth, North Wales.
Prosecutor Michael Jones asked Dr Rodgers if Redfern had ‘hit’ Ms Barnes and that would explain the injuries.
But the pathologist thought that there would not be enough force to cause the fatal injury.
Mr Jones has described Redfern as a 21 stone “angry bully” for the way he treated Ms Barnes.
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.
Jurors have been told that Ms Barnes mistook Belmont House (pictured) for the B&B where she was supposed to be staying.
The retired factory worker had booked to stay at the Wavecrest B&B (pictured), several doors down from the waterfront.
The court heard that she had “simply mistaken” her large, five-story seaside home for her hotel after traveling more than 100 miles to a seaside resort to rest.
The retired workman, Mrs Barnes, had booked into the Wavecrest B&B several doors away on Marine Parade, Barmouth, when she traveled from Birmingham.
But she mistook the big Redfern waterfront house called Belmont House for the hotel she intended, and walked into the wrong house drunk, went straight to bed, and fell asleep.
The court read her statements to police after Redfern called to speak with them about her injuries. He denied hearing the dying Mrs. Barnes say a ‘lie’.
He accepted that the whole situation had been “out of control” but denied being an aggressive person.
The big house had previously been a hotel before Redfern and his partner bought it to renovate it.
Ms Barnes had bought a bottle of gin after taking an evening stroll in July last year before making her tragic mistake.
A court heard that she was discovered by Redfern, who dragged her down the stairs by her feet before furiously attacking her and throwing her suitcase onto the road.
Prosecutor Michael Jones KC said Ms Barnes suffered ‘totally gratuitous’ and ‘totally unjustified’ by Redfern.
There he bought some gin and around 10 pm he walked to Wavecrest B&B, pulling his small rolling suitcase and carrying his bag, but ended up at Belmont House, a large five-story row house, which was on the same side of the street. the street, but several doors down from the Wavecrest.
After the incident, Redfern (pictured) told 999 that he had thought Ms Barnes was a thief.
Belmont House, just down the street from Marine Parade, was being renovated by Redfern and his partner Nicola Learoyd-Lewis.
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.
She went into an upstairs bedroom, removed her dentures and put them on a nightstand, pouring herself a gin into a glass while holding a bottle of tonic.
Ms. Barnes fell unconscious and went into cardiac arrest when neighbors tried to resuscitate her. She died at the scene from ‘traumatic injuries’.
But Mr Jones added: “The reason Mrs Barnes died is that she had the misfortune of meeting a man who was an angry bully.”
Her husband Raymond identified her to the police.
Redfern, of Barmouth, denies both the murder and manslaughter of Mrs. Barnes.
The trial at Caernarfon Crown Court continues.
