Preston man Steven May's niece 'heard shouts' at his home three days before his death was reported, jury told
The niece of a man allegedly murdered by his lodger has told jurors she arrived at his home to sounds of “someone being hurt”, 72 hours before the alarm was raised.
Kelly Halsall was giving evidence at the trial of Darren Taylor, 45, who denies murdering her uncle, Steven May, at the home they shared on Raven Street, Preston.
His clothed body was found on May 20 last year on a fully made bed upstairs - but his family say he habitually slept on the sofa.
The defence argue he moved upstairs in recent weeks due to incontinence.
The court heard Ms Halsall, who visited once a week, had been phoned on holiday by Taylor, reporting her uncle had soiled himself.
She was asked about a visit to his home on May 17.
She said: “I went straight round the back and the back door was open so I went straight into the back. Darren ran down and started shouting he’d sh*t himself and threw him in the shower.”
She said Taylor was “irate”, that she could hear groaning from upstairs, and that Taylor told her: “Go upstairs, have a look”.
She told Taylor to tell him she would see him later, and left, as he said carers were on the way.
Defending, John Jones QC suggested she never raised hearing “someone being hurt” in her statement.
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