Antigua honeymoon murder trial: bloodied scene described in court

A medic testified how she found British couple Ben and Catherine Mullany shot in their resort chalet. Two men deny three murder charges in Antigua's High Court.

Medic describes finding shot honeymooners at Antigua resort

As reported by theguardian.com, a court in St John's, Antigua has heard graphic testimony about the scene emergency workers encountered when British newlyweds Ben and Catherine Mullany were found shot in their luxury beachside chalet on the morning of 27 July 2008.

Emergency medical technician Loretta Ephraim told the High Court she arrived at the hillside cottage at 6.15am to find armed officers standing guard. Inside, she found Catherine Mullany motionless on the floor beside the bed and her husband lying on the bed itself.

"When we got in, I noticed blood and mosquito nets over the bed," Ephraim told the court. "The female was lying very still, on the floor. Her eyes were open, wide open, but there were no movements coming from her."

Ephraim then turned her attention to Ben Mullany, attempting to place a brace around his neck and control the bleeding from his head. He had a large swelling at the back of his bloodied head, and there was further blood on his pillow. Despite her efforts, communication proved impossible.

"While I was putting the bandage on … he tried to say something but I couldn't understand what he was saying," she said.

Once immobilised on a board, Ben Mullany was transported to Holberton Hospital. In the ambulance he grew increasingly restless and continued trying to speak, though paramedics were unable to make out his words. Ephraim said she spoke to him in an attempt to offer comfort.

"On our way to the hospital he was even more restless. He was trying to speak but we couldn't understand what he was trying to say," she said. On arrival at the hospital he became calmer.

Ben Mullany, a former South Yorkshire police officer who had also served in the British army, was subsequently flown back to Britain for further treatment. He died one week after the attack. His wife Catherine — a student physiotherapist — was pronounced dead at the scene. The couple, both 31 and from Swansea in south Wales, were on the final day of their honeymoon at the Cocos Hotel. They had married just over a fortnight before the shooting.

Prosecutor Anthony Armstrong, opening the case against defendants Avie Howell, 20, and Kaniel Martin, 23, told jurors the couple had been shot by the same firearm later used in a second attack. On 8 August 2008, local shopkeeper Woneta Anderson, 43, was killed in what Armstrong described as an "almost identical" manner.

"All three victims were shot in the head. They were shot with a single bullet, no more, no less. All three victims were killed using the same firearm," Armstrong told the court. The nature of the killings, he said, ruled out self-defence or provocation as mitigating factors for either accused.

Armstrong said Howell and Martin could be linked to all three murders. Neither defendant showed emotion as proceedings began — nearly three years after the killings. Both sat in the open dock with their hands clasped, listening intently to the evidence.

Both men deny three counts of murder. The Crown intends to call approximately 70 witnesses and will rely on ballistic, DNA, documentary, medical and mobile phone evidence during the trial.

Source: Google News AG — Crime