Murder accused handed himself in at police station

A man accused of killing his estranged partner handed himself into police and said "I hope she is all right", a court heard.

Mark Donovan is charged with murdering Elise Mason, 37, in Great Baddow near Chelmsford on 25 April 2023.

His trial at Chelmsford Crown Court was shown bodycam footage of the moment he handed himself in at a police station in Ilford, east London.

The 39-year-old, of Rothmans Avenue, Great Baddow, denies murder.

Prosecutors had already described how he walked into the police station eating a Chinese takeaway and admitted to officers he had done "the worst thing".

In the footage, Mr Donovan could be heard repeatedly saying "I hope she is all right".

He was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the station and officers were dispatched to his home.

Several minutes later - in the early hours of 26 April - he was rearrested on suspicion of murder after officers told colleagues via radio that she had died.

Breathing heavily and appearing agitated, he could be heard saying in the footage: "You said you were working on her to try and save her."

Jurors have already been told the pair were teenage friends and began a relationship in 2010, which eventually broke down in 2022.

Prosecutor Andrew Jackson said the defendant "bombarded" Ms Mason with "manipulative" texts and phone calls in an effort to win her back, and had asked her to come to his home on the day she died.

Mr Donovan inflicted 70 injuries on the victim, Mr Jackson has said.

The trial continues.

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