Charlie Booth admits killing Lauren Howe in Baildon

Charlie Booth, 27, of Albert Road, Saltaire, is accused of murdering Lauren Howe, on July 24 last year.

Booth denies murder but it was revealed by Nicholas Lumley KC, for the prosecution, in his opening statement, that the 27-year-old has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Mr Lumley said: "His case will be I did not intend to cause such serious harm, I did not mean it, it was manslaughter."

But the prosecution said the level of force needed to cause the injury that killed Ms Howe “can only mean an intention to cause, at the very least, real serious harm”.

The large police cordon seen from the other side of the properties between Aire Way and Tennis Way (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Lumley said: "On 24th July 2022, as Lauren returned home from a night out with family and friends she was met by this defendant who was in a jealous rage and had been for hours.

"In no time, he had killed her by hurting her so badly that her life could not be saved."

The jury heard – in the first proper day of the trial – that Ms Howe suffered multiple injuries, including numerous bruises to her face, but the cause of her death was found after internal examination.

Mr Lumley said: "There was a lot of blood inside her tummy, inside what is called her abdominal cavity, that shouldn't have been there.

"The question is, where had that blood come from?

"Lauren had been hit with such force to the abdomen that her liver had been torn open.

“There was a laceration in her liver.”

The post-mortem was conducted by Dr Kirsten Hope shortly after Booth was arrested by police.

Mr Lumley said: "She had been hit full-on in the abdomen.

"Dr Hope will tell you, that's the sort of injury you might expect to see after a car crash or a fall from a height. Substantial force to cause such an injury.

"It wasn't the only injury, injuries on her arms showed she was probably trying to ward off blows, but that was the big one."

Lauren Jade Howe (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Booth and Ms Howe lived in a flat together in Tennis Way, Baildon.

Mr Lumley said their relationship was “characterised by jealousy and anger on his part” and multiple witnesses told the court yesterday that Booth would often ring them while they were with Ms Howe and ask where she was, if she was coming home and who she was with.

He would ring Ms Howe’s friends because he was using a phone the couple shared.

The opening statement revealed Ms Howe went to the house of her sister, Leigha Howe, at about 10.15pm on July 23 on her own, but cell site data showed she had left the shared phone at home.

Ms Howe had barely arrived when Booth called her sister and there was a “huge amount of contact” between them.

The court heard Booth said “I’m coming up to your f**king house” and then Ms Howe’s sister eventually hung up, before there was an angry exchange of text messages.

The prosecution said Leigha Howe’s responses included: “lol, I'd like to see you try”, “you don't even know where I live d**khead”, and “come on”.

Ms Howe, her sister and their brother moved on to a house party at their cousin’s, where Ms Howe was “happy” and “smiling” before leaving just after 6.30am.

Her cousin said she could stay but Ms Howe decided to walk home, “perhaps fearing she’d pushed her luck with this man”, the prosecution said.

Mr Lumley added: "Well, she was right to be worried."

Ms Howe got back at around 8.30am and was in the flat for a little under an hour before Booth dumped her body next to a wheelie bin.

A police scene in Tennis Way, Baildon on July 24 last year (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Mr Lumley said: "He'd fetched her all that distance and their flat by the paddling pool, all the way along those length of terraces.”

He added: "Then came through onto that bit of land, at the very end of the terraces and laid her on the ground, by that wheelie bin."

Paramedics worked on Ms Howe but she died at the scene.

The trial continues.