Jordan Monaghan: Triple murder accused faked suicide note, court hears

A man accused of murdering his two young children faked a suicide note from his partner after also killing her, a court has heard.

Jurors were told Jordan Monaghan, 30, murdered his partner Evie Adams in 2019 and was "putting it on" after being told she was dead.

He is also accused of smothering his 24-day-old daughter Ruby and killing his 21-month-old son Logan in 2013.

Mr Monaghan, of Blackburn, denies three counts of murder.

Preston Crown Court heard mother-of-one Miss Adams, 23, was found lying on her back on the bedroom floor on 24 October 2019.

Despite emergency resuscitation attempts by paramedics she was declared dead about 30 minutes later.

Mr Monaghan, a digger driver, is alleged to have murdered her with an overdose over a number of days, using tramadol and diazepam which he had bought himself on the black market.

A post-mortem examination showed Miss Adams died from tramadol and diazepam toxicity, drugs never prescribed to her but sought and obtained by Mr Monaghan from others and given to her "covertly without her agreement or knowledge", the jury heard.

The court heard senior paramedic John Tetlow was present when police were called, and when officers told the defendant his partner was dead Mr Monaghan was "overcome with grief".

Duncan Smith QC, prosecuting, told the jury: "Mr Tetlow saw Mr Monaghan in an emotional state but considered Mr Monaghan was putting it on in respect of his upset when the police got there."

The court heard Mr Monaghan told Miss Adams' friends and relatives she had been suicidal and had sent him a text message saying "I have taken some drugs" earlier that day, to which he did not reply.

But Mr Smith suggested Mr Monaghan had sent the text himself using her phone.

Mr Monaghan later faked a suicide note from Miss Adams which was discovered apparently by chance falling out of a picture frame as he removed the couple's favourite photo of themselves to place in her coffin, the court heard.

One was purportedly a letter to her child from "mummy", while the second, dated two days before her death, was typed and was an apparent suicide note.

Mr Smith said a number of pieces of evidence suggested the suicide note had in fact been written by the defendant.

Mr Monaghan's fingerprints were found on the letter but not those of Miss Adams, the court heard.

The letter was examined by an expert forensic linguist who found the writing was "not consistent" with it being written by Miss Adams but was "consistent, highly distinctive" with the writing of Mr Monaghan, suggesting he was the real author.

Jurors have previously heard that Mr Monaghan smothered Ruby on 1 January 2013 and Logan on 17 August 2013 while their mother Laura Gray was out of the room.

Mr Smith told the court Mr Monaghan "unlawfully and deliberately" obstructed their breathing.

Mr Monaghan, of Belgrave Close, denies three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of cruelty to a third child, who cannot be identified, all between 1 January 2013 and 24 October 2019.

The trial continues.

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