The killer of Widnes teenager Kelsey Shaw sobbed in the witness box today as he relived the moment he strangled the mum of one.
Callum Wilcocks, now 23, killed his on-off girlfriend Kelsey at a flat in Foundry Lane, Widnes, on the afternoon of April 29, 2011, after a row about him cheating on her.
He admits causing Kelsey’s death but claims he is only guilty of manslaughter, due to a combination of mental illness and a loss of control.
At Liverpool Crown Court today Wilcocks obbed and frequently struggled to maintain his composure.
Under questioning from defence counsel Gareth Evans, QC, Wilcocks claimed Kelsey told him their baby was not his and taunted him about his sexual performance in the moments before the attack.
He said: “(Kelsey) told me she wished I had killed myself. She had never said anything like that to me before.
“…It was the worst pain and heartbreak I had ever felt in my life, ever. It was absolutely devastating to hear.”
He said he initially choked her briefly to “make her be quiet,” but let her go.
However the argument resumed and Wilcocks grabbed her around the neck again causing her to lose consciousness, before continuing to strangle her with his hand while she lay on the floor.
He said: “I couldn’t seem to control what was going on.”
Mr Evans asked: “You told police in relation to this strangling you intended her to die, is that right?”
Wilcocks said: “Yes.”
Callum Wilcocks
The pair had been drinking and snorting cocaine together the previous night with Kelsey’s friend Rebecca McDonald, who lived in the flat.
Wilcocks attacked Kelsey by the front door of the flat the following afternoon, while Miss McDonald had taken her baby son to her mum’s address.
The court heard Miss McDonald returned either during, or seconds after the attack.
Mr Evans asked Wilcocks what happened when Miss McDonald returned.
He said: “At that stage after Kelsey was on the floor, the door hit me I have sort of snapped out of whatever frame of mind I found myself in and instantly thought what the hell am I doing.
“I immediately opened her mouth and tried to pick her back up and wake her up. I was breathing into her mouth.”
The court also heard about Wilcocks ‘difficult upbringing, and claims he had been bullied by his parents and siblings.
He said he “did not fit in” at school and attempted suicide several times in the years before Kelsey’s death.
Wilcocks said: “I just couldn’t cope with life, I just couldn’t cope with it. I found life in general too much to deal with.”
He also told the court he had also attempted suicide while in prison since being arrested for the killing.
Mr Evans revealed his client had also been diagnosed with a personality disorder while in prison.
The court heard he and two friends would spend £800 on cocaine every weekend, which he funded by committing crime.
(Proceeding)
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/