An elderly widow was beaten her to death on the morning she was due to go on a luxury cruise by a Criminal Prosecution Service clerk, a court heard yesterday.
Old Bailey case worker Thomas Blazquez, 51, of Onslow Gardens, South Woodford, killed 77-year-old Rosemary Shearman as she waited for a taxi to take her to Dover for a 10-day voyage around the Norwegian fjords.
Blazquez, who has worked on hundreds of infamous murder cases, met Mrs Shearman, of Platford Green, Hornchurch,through his mother’s bridge club.
Prosecutor Mark Dennis QC said: “Having confronted Rosemary Shearman in her living room, frustration turned to anger and then to violence, with matters getting wholly out of hand.”
He bound the victim after she returned home from the hairdressers and forced a handkerchief into her mouth before he murdered her and tried to kill himself, Southwark Crown Court heard.
“It is apparent that, having realised the enormity of what he had done, the defendant had finally resolved to end his own life,” Mr Dennis said.
Mrs Shearman’s body was found by neighbours in her home in September last year.
The court heard she had been beaten to her head and body, bound with tape and rope.
“The neighbours immediately assumed that she had been confronted by a burglar who had attacked her before fleeing the scene”, said Mr Dennis.
“However, whilst awaiting the arrival of the emergency services, they realised to their shock that her assailant was still in the house, apparently hiding in a first floor bathroom.
“When the police arrived and forced open the bathroom door, they found the defendant, knife in hand, having cut himself to his neck and wrist in an apparent bid to commit suicide.”
Blazquez admits manslaughter but denies murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Read more:
Hornchurch pensioner Rosemary Shearman died of asphyxiation - post mortem result
Trial of man accused of murdering Hornchurch pensioner Rosemary Shearman set to begin
Friend speaks of ‘kind hearted’ Rosemary Shearman, found dead in Hornchurch yesterday
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here