Jury out in trial of man accused of killing partner

Kieron Goodwin is accused of strangling Olivia Wood

A jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of a man accused of murdering his partner by strangling her.

Olivia Wood, 29, of Northwich, Cheshire, was found by paramedics in a serious condition in Kieron Goodwin's flat in Frome on 30 July 2024.

She died in hospital later that day, with the prosecution claiming Mr Goodwin had fatally strangled her.

Mr Goodwin denies murdering Ms Wood and causing her grievous bodily harm, but has admitted a charge of coercive control.

The couple had been together for just a few months before Ms Wood's death, but the court heard Mr Goodwin had quickly become controlling of her.

On the night she died, the prosecution alleges Ms Wood was preparing to leave him and had packed her belongings into a suitcase and rucksack.

Mr Goodwin called 999 at 02:50 BST to say Ms Wood was not breathing and he was given instructions in first aid.

However, the jury heard he was simultaneously deleting more than 800 photos and videos from his phone.

Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingam KC told the jury they might find it "troubling" a man trying to save someone's life decided "he needs to delete potentially incriminating material from his phone".

Paramedics told the court they spotted a big bruise developing on Ms Wood's neck and Mr Goodwin told them: "I've killed her. It's all my fault. Oh my god, is she going to die? What have I done?"

A post-mortem revealed Ms Wood had potentially fatal levels of cocaine in her system, and the hyoid bone in her neck was fractured - an injury often associated with fatal neck compression.

'Deeply unhappy'

Ms Wood, an ecologist, never formally moved in with Mr Goodwin but spent a lot of time with him in Frome. The jury heard notes on her phone suggested she was "deeply unhappy".

During their short relationship, she transferred more than £6,000 to Mr Goodwin, much of which was spent on cocaine.

WhatsApp messages between the pair showed the defendant pressured Ms Wood into having sex with another man and into performing sex acts on camera against her will.

Mr Goodwin denies five further counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of assault by penetration relating to three other women.

He also denies four counts of rape and one of intentional strangulation but has admitted a charge of coercive control against each of the three women.

The women told police Mr Goodwin pressured them into taking cocaine when they had no history of drug abuse.

One told the jury she believed the defendant wanted her to take drugs in order to make her more "malleable".

The defendant did not give evidence at trial.