Man, 92, killed by wife in back garden, jury told

A 92-year-old man was attacked and killed in his back garden by his wife, before his body was doused in fuel and set alight, a jury has been told.

Susan Poole, 53, is alleged to have murdered David Hart at the home the couple shared with their adult son in Bradford on 16 April last year, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Ms Poole was deemed unfit to plead or stand trial for the offence on the advice of two medical professionals.

Instead, a trial of the facts started on Tuesday, with the jury asked to determine if she committed the act she is accused of, rather than deeming whether or not she is criminally guilty.

Opening the case, prosecutor Michelle Colborne KC said Mr Hart was heard screaming for help by neighbours on the afternoon he died, at his address on Shetland Close in Shipley.

His body was then seen on the ground in a "pool of blood" through a garden fence by his next door neighbours, one of whom then saw the defendant setting Mr Hart's body alight as she ignored pleas for attention.

Body-worn camera footage played to the jury showed police forcing entry to the back garden shortly afterwards, where Ms Poole was seen dousing herself in fuel in an outbuilding before being restrained.

Upon her arrest, the defendant made repeated references to "Jesus" and asked for her Bible, it was said.

The front door to the house had been barricaded with canned food, the court heard.

CCTV clips played to the jury from earlier the same afternoon showed Ms Poole chopping down a cherry tree in the garden, at one point assisted by her husband.

In a later clip, she was then seen brandishing a tree root picker in the direction of Mr Hart in what the prosecution described as an "aggressive" manner, before they both disappeared from view.

The jury was told the root picker is believed to be the weapon used to inflict fatal head injuries on the victim.

He is thought to have died from these injuries before his body was set alight.

Diary entries read to the court, believed to have been written by Mr Hart on the day he died, described how he and his son were locked in the house and unable to get into the garden "because we might get Covid".

The same entry added: "Sue says Jesus has spoken to her and it's OK to open the windows, and he is protecting her personally."

The couple's son, who was led from the house by police after the incident, was not involved in the attack and is not accused of any offences, Ms Colborne said.

The trial continues.