Sarah Brierley: Sheffield couple murdered woman before stealing TV, court told

A couple bludgeoned a woman to death in her flat in Sheffield before stealing her TV, a court has heard.

Sarah Brierley's decomposing body was found a week after she was killed in Skelton Lane, Woodhouse, in February, a Sheffield Crown Court trial was told.

She had been struck on the head five times with a blunt object, such as a hammer, the jury heard.

David Scott, 40, of Abbeyfield Road, Burngreave, and Zoe Clark, 42, of Skelton Lane, Woodhouse, deny murder.

Prosecutor David Brooke said the pair were seen on CCTV "acting suspiciously" in the vicinity of Ms Brierley's flat on the morning of 14 February, the day she is thought to have been killed.

He told the jury a neighbour also saw the couple "coming and going to the flat over the next few days" before her body was found by police.

Mr Brooke alleged the couple had been removing property, including the TV, from the flat, as well as accessing Ms Brierley's bank account and taking money.

Police forced entry to the flat on 20 February as they investigated a robbery in which it was alleged she had been involved and found Ms Brierley's body wrapped in a duvet on a sofa, the prosecutor said.

A post-mortem examination found she had suffered severe head injuries caused by multiple blows with a blunt weapon.

The prosecutor said the defendants each made "incriminating admissions" about their involvement in Ms Brierley's death before their arrests the following week

The court heard Mr Scott had told someone in a text message he had "done it" and was "looking at 20 years," while Ms Clark had said: "We are going down for murder."

The prosecutor said Mr Scott was "accustomed to carrying a hammer for criminal purposes" and was alleged to have attacked a man with the weapon during a robbery on Maucer Road nine days before Ms Brierley's death.

Mr Scott and Ms Clark each deny murder and theft. Mr Scott also denies an additional charge of robbery.

The trial continues.

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