Liam Smith: Woman denies involvement in Tinder date's killing

A woman accused of involvement in the murder of a man she met on Tinder has told a court the first she knew of the killing was when her boyfriend came to her home after the attack.

Rachel Fulstow, 37, is accused of being involved in a plan to harm Liam Smith, who she had a "one-night stand" with.

The 38-year-old's body was found near his home in Wigan, on 24 November 2022.

She told Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court she was shocked when she was told about the attack.

Ms Fulstow, of Andrew Drive, York, and her 39-year-old boyfriend Michael Hillier, of Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, both deny murder.

Mr Hillier has admitted manslaughter, while Ms Fulstow has denied perverting the course of justice.

The court was told Mr Smith, an electrician and father-of-two, was lured from his home, shot in the face, then had sulphuric acid poured over him as he lay dying.

The jury has heard the attack was allegedly prompted by a "one-night stand" between Mr Smith and Ms Fulstow at a York hotel in 2019, which arranged on the dating app.

It has been claimed the encounter angered Mr Hillier, who Ms Fulstow met on another app a year later, after he was "led to believe" it was "non-consensual".

Ms Fulstow has told the court she was too petrified of Mr Hillier, a "significant" drug dealer, to go to the police, so instead lied to officers investigating Mr Smith's death.

She said she was not involved in the plan to attack the 38-year-old and was shocked when Mr Hillier turned up at her home telling her what he had done.

Jason Pitter KC, prosecuting, asked her about searches made on her phone which he said showed she was in on the plot.

Ms Fulstow admitted making searches for an electrician in Wigan six months before the killing and looking up the details of Mr Smith's firm.

Mr Pitter asked her if they were "innocent searches", which had been driven by "curiosity".

"Yes," she said.

The court was told she also made searches for a Shogun car, which was the same make as the one driven by Mr Hillier and later burnt out.

Mr Pitter said searches asking "how long does it take a car to burn?" were found.

"That's quite a specific thing to look for?" he said.

"[Was it an innocent search? Just a coincidence?"

"Yes," she replied.

"The search was what was going to happen to the Shogun, wasn't it?" he said.

"No," she replied.

"Was this you gaining information to help with the overall plan?" he continued.

"No," she replied, adding that she did not know what prompted the search.

The court was told there were other searches found, including one asking if speed cameras had automatic number plate recognition, several about the home address of Mr Smith, one about the response times for police and ambulance, one about home security cameras and one for the weather forecast in Wigan on the day of the attack.

Ms Fulstow denied any of them were to do with a plan to harm Mr Smith.

She also denied sending bogus text messages to Mr Hillier to provide him with an alibi so police would believe he was elsewhere when Mr Smith was attacked.

The court was told Mr Hillier and Ms Fulstow went on holiday to Jamaica six days after Mr Smith's death and when they returned, they learned an arrest had been made over the false number plates used on the Shogun car.

The jury heard there were subsequent searches for the words "premeditated" and "custodial".

Mr Pitter said they showed the pair were "beginning to panic" and had realised that in killing Mr Smith, things had gone "too far".

"Is that why you were worried about him showing up at your house?" he asked.

"No," Ms Fulstow replied.

The trial continues.

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