A call girl and her boyfriend took sick ‘selfies’ next to the rotting corpse of an Eccles former history teacher they had just murdered for cash, a court heard yesterday.
Kirsty Edmondson, 23, and 35-year old Christopher Sawyers lived with the body of Kenneth Chapman for up to a week, it was said.
The jury heard how the pair used mobiles phones to take ‘trophy photos’ and had sex with each other in Chapman’s bed.
The pair also stole his TV and computer and raided his bank account in a string of online frauds – even texting the victim’s unwitting sister pretending to be 47-year old Chapman, asking if she could lend him £75, it was said.
Later, Sawyers allegedly showed one of the photos to his friends saying: ”Look at this. I will show you a photo of a corpse.”
Police were called in and found Chapman dead at his flat in Eccles, Greater Manchester, with tests showing he had been injected with a lethal dose of heroin.
Manchester Crown Court was told Sawyers had realised there was ‘money to be made out of murder’ after he got away with killing a former accountant with the same drug – 17 months before Chapman’s death.
Tony Cross QC prosecuting said: “They treated Kenneth Chapman’s home and property as their exclusive preserve.
”In the 15 days between the death of Mr Chapman and the discovery of his body these two defendants began to steal what they could from him – his TV, computer and from his bank account to purchase goods using a variety of different fraudulent methods.
”They even texting his sister pretending to be him to borrow money. These were callous and despicable actions. They began within hours of Kenneth Chapman’s death and continued for days as the two defendants lived in the flat carrying on their lives whilst Mr Chapman lay dead.
“So twisted were their actions that they even took selfies of them enjoying themselves in the very same room as the cadaver. They took ‘selfies’ in the very room where he lay rotting. These photos are trophy photos – two people proud of their work.
“They had sex in his bed and filmed it. They stole and committed fraud. Attempts were made to order goods via Amazon, top up mobile phones and pay forged cheques into Sawyers’ bank account.
“This was how they lived their lives – using his home, car and property as their own. They did so because as Christopher Sawyers was later to tell witnesses – he wanted to ‘off’ him. To kill him. To end his life.”
Earlier the jury was told how Chapman – who was also a former soldier – had been a keen runner who kept a diary of his daily fitness activities.
But he went to prison, lost his teaching job and after his release met Edmondson when he became embroiled in the drugs scene and began associating with call girls for company.
He made £18,000 from the sale of his house and moved into rented accommodation and was believed to be contemplating a permanent move back to Scotland after visiting his family over Christmas last year.
But tragedy struck on December 28 2013 after he met up with Edmondson and Sawyers and they went back to his flat whey they took drugs and when the victim fell unconscious he was administered with a lethal dose.
Mr Cross said: “Christopher Sawyers and Kirsty Edmondson were acting together. They were clearly in a relationship. It might not have been a relationship of a conventional type. It may not have been born of love or even affection, but of necessity.
”They were in a relationship and they were acting together both before and after the murder. hat is clear is that Sawyers and Edmondson injected Chapman with a large dose of heroin, despite his comatose and intoxicated state, and they did so without his consent.
“They did so because as Christopher Sawyers was later to tell witnesses – he wanted to ‘off’ him. To kill him. To end his life.”
Less than an hour after Mr Chapman is believed to have been killed, the pair were caught on CCTV driving around Salford in his car where they also attempted to withdraw £100 from his bank account. Later on New Year’s Eve the lovers went to the house of a friend who noticed that Edmondson had a ‘terrible cut’ on her arm.
A woman took photos of the cut but it prompting Sawyers to say, ‘if you think that is unattractive, look at this. I will show you a photo of a corpse.’ The couple moved out of the property on January 3 and Mr Chapman’s body was found on January 12.
Police later spoke to a witness who said she had overheard overheard Sawyers talking to Edmondson about Chapman saying: “We can’t keep taking him for bits, we need to see him off. This is taking too long, we need to OD him.”
A Home Office pathologist later revealed that the morphine concentration in Chapman’s body was the highest he had ever encountered in deaths from misuse of heroin.
The court heard Sawyer was also responsible for the death of former accountant Peter Clark, 60, who also drifted in the Manchester drugs scene.
He suffered a fatal collapse whilst he and Sawyers were taking heroin at a house in Ancoats, Manchester on July 5 2012. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
After Mr Clark’s death Sawyers ‘took ownership’ of his phone, topping it up £20 using the dead man’s debit card the following day to call his friends.
In the weeks after the death, he is alleged to have told friends that he diluted the heroin with water and ‘dug’ Mr Clark in the hand – referring to an injection. Police at the time went to Mr Clark’s home in Withington to find Sawyers and another woman inside the property.
Sawyers was using a computer which had been placed on the coffee table and officers also noticed Mr Clark’s wallet was open with no money in it.
He was arrested by police at the time and questioned, but no action further action was taken against him.
Sawyers denies murdering Chapman and pleads not guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Clark. Edmondson denies murdering Chapman. The trial continues.
