Teenager 'killed teaching assistant and buried her in makeshift grave'

The body of Lindsay Birbeck, 47, was discovered by a dog walker in Accrington Cemetery, Lancashire, on August 24 last year, the jury in a retrial at Preston Crown Court was told on Monday.

The 17-year-old male defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murder and manslaughter.

David McLachlan QC, prosecuting, told the jury the mother-of-two and keep-fit enthusiast left her home on Burnley Road, Accrington, at about 4pm on August 12 2019 and headed towards an area of woodland known as The Coppice, where she would often walk.

He said the prosecution believed she was killed somewhere in the wood shortly after.

He told the court: "The prosecution case is that her killer is the young man who sits in the dock of the court."

Mr McLachlan said the defendant, who was aged 16 at the time of the killing, was seen on CCTV that afternoon in the same area.

Later that evening he was seen taking a blue wheelie bin towards the woodland, which the prosecution claim was used to conceal her body.

Mrs Birbeck was reported missing by her family just after midnight and police started an investigation into her disappearance.

On August 17 the defendant was seen moving a wheelie bin from the woodland to the cemetery, the court heard.

Mr McLachlan said: "Several witnesses saw a male pulling a wheelie bin. The wheelie bin appeared this time to be heavy.

"The prosecution case is that the reason for this is simple and straightforward: the wheelie bin now contained the body of Lindsay Birbeck."

The court heard Morgan Parkinson had been walking in the cemetery on August 24 when his dog ran into a wooded area.

When he followed to pull the dog away he saw a plastic cover and what appeared to be a leg, Mr McLachlan said.

Mr Parkinson called the police and officers found a body in a shallow ditch, the jury was told.

The court heard the defendant, who had an intermediary with him in the dock, had autism and special educational needs.

The socially distanced trial was spread across three courtrooms, with relatives of the victim, the defendant's parents and members of the press watching in separate courtrooms to the jury and counsel.

Judge Mrs Justice Yip told jurors a trial had been held in February but it was not possible to finish it and the jury was discharged.

She said: "You can rest assured that the problem that led to the jury being discharged last time was not in any way the fault of anyone involved in this case."

The court was adjourned until Tuesday, when the prosecution will continue opening the case.