Lindsay Birbeck murder trial: jury to consider verdict today

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has denied murdering Ightenhill Primary School teaching assistant Lindsay (47) from Huncoat, as well as a lesser charge of manslaughter, in a retrial at Preston Crown Court. An original trial earlier this year collapsed due to legal reasons.

The defendant, who has been diagnosed with autism and has a lower than average IQ, has admitted to disposing of the body of mother-of-two Mrs Birbeck who was found in a shallow grave at Accrington Cemetery on August 24th last year, 12 days after she was reported missing by her concerned family.

He was taken to a local police station by his family following a police appeal which showed him pulling a blue wheelie bin, containing Lindsay's body, towards the cemetery.

The jury has now heard the closing arguments from the prosecution and the defence, as well as a summing up from judge Her Honour Mrs Justice Yip.

They have heard evidence from forensic experts, former teachers of the defendant, witnesses on the Coppice in Accrington where Lindsay is believed to have been killed, and a Home Office pathologist who gave the cause of death as severe crushing injuries to the neck.

Prosecuting barrister Mr David McLachlan QC addressed the jury in his closing speech on Monday in which he said the defendant's claim of being offered a large sum of money to move the body of Mrs Birbeck by an unknown white male was "complete nonsense" and was asking the jury to "suspend reality and ignore common sense."

Summing up the defence, barrister Mr Mark Fenhalls QC told the jury they "cannot exclude the possibility somebody else did it" and there was "no evidence consistent with an attack with a weapon from behind by a stranger".

Mr Fenhalls also suggested that the description given by Zoe Braithwaithe, who was walking at the time of Lindsay's disappearance, did not match that of the defendant.

The jury is to be asked at 4pm if they have arrived at a verdict.