A forensic expert has reconstructed, from bloodstains found at the site, the murder of an Indian-origin man in Britain in December last year, revealing the victim was stabbed and battered with a blunt object many times, a media report said on Monday.
Forensic scientist Hazel Johnson told the Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday the victim, Baljit Singh, was stabbed with a knife before falling into the cellar at a property on Beeches Road, in Rowley Regis. He was also battered over the head up to 20 times in the lounge of the house possibly by a short iron bar, the Express and Star reported.
The 50-year-old disappeared on December 23 when he left his Birmingham home to collect a birthday cake for his son. Later on December 31, a homeless man named Millership was arrested on suspicion of stealing Singh's car and was later charged with his murder.
The body of Singh was found on January 1 at the Beeches Road property, about 10 km from his home.
"Based on the blood found on the wall, carpet and behind the settee I conclude that Singh was assaulted in the lounge. He then either moved or was physically moved to the top of the cellar steps. He was stabbed in the neck just before, or while falling, or being pushed down the steps," Johnson said.
Millership has pleaded guilty to the murder on the basis that he played a minor role in the crime with the fatal blows being struck by two Albanians.
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Earlier in a guilty plea, he said he was "truly sorry for the death of Baljit Singh and the anguish that this has caused his family, particularly his wife and son".
The prosecution dispute Millership's claim and believe that he acted alone after becoming increasingly frustrated over the non-payment of a 12,500 pound debt he claimed was owed to him by Singh.
The Wolverhampton Crown Court will rule on the matter and sentence Millership later this week at the end of the case.