Louth murder trial (Dec 13): Murphy admits hitting victim with baseball bat

The man accused of murdering Louth mum Marie Gibson admitted to police he struck her with a baseball bat after they argued, a jury heard today (Thursday).
Lacey Gardens, Louth, LincolnshireLacey Gardens, Louth, Lincolnshire
Lacey Gardens, Louth, Lincolnshire

Shane Murphy, who was arrested shortly after killing his partner Marie, claimed in a series of interviews with police that she had goaded him.

He said she picked up a baseball bat and brandished it at him.

But, he told officers, they then grappled with each other and he got hold of the bat and hit her a couple of times.

He said: “I didn’t mean it to happen like this. I just wanted to be with her. I would have done anything for her.

“Its all a big blur. She was in my face. I’ve hit her with the bat. I kicked her right towards the end.

“I never intended to use force. She made me lose it.”

Murphy denied stabbing Marie with a shard of broken glass which was found embedded in her neck and told officers he did not know how the glass got there. He said he tried to take it out and then left the house.

Pathologist Dr Frances Hollingbury, who carried out a post mortem examination on Marie, spent almost an hour detailing the injuries she found.

Dr Hollingbury said Marie had severe brain injuries and fractures to her facial bones.

She said: “I gave the cause of death as blunt force head and facial injuries.”

Murphy, 28, of Little Lane, Louth, denies the murder of Marie Gibson. She died at her home in Lacey Gardens, Louth, on June 9 this year.

He admits he killed her but says his responsibility was diminished by a mental health condition he was suffering at the time.

The trial continues.