Carrie Slater: Murder accused claimed partner injured herself

Police found Carrie Slater with critical injuries at a home in Long Clawson and later died in hospital

A man accused of shooting his partner in the head at their Leicestershire home claimed she hurt herself by running into a pool cue, a jury has heard.

Richard Basson, 45, is accused of having used an illegally-held handgun to shoot Carrie Slater, causing her a brain injury that she later died from.

He denies murdering Ms Slater.

A jury at Leicester Crown Court heard he called police to report his partner had injured herself.

The jury was told Mr Basson dialled 999 from the couple's home in Long Clawson, near Melton Mowbray, shortly before 18:45 on 21 September.

He claimed, during a 30-minute call played to jurors, that he jabbed her with a pool cue after she came at him with a carving knife over an argument.

John Lloyd-Jones KC, prosecuting, said Mr Basson told operators he believed a metal band from the cue was stuck under his partner's scalp.

"Important parts of that account that this defendant gave in that 999 call were not true," he said.

"At the time of this fatal incident, Carrie had not come at him with a knife. There had, ladies and gentlemen, been no pool cue."

The prosecutor held up a firearm, to show to the jury, and told the court it was "this loaded handgun" that Mr Basson fired twice - one bullet hitting a wall and another hitting Ms Slater "right in the middle of her head".

Mr Basson and Ms Slater had been in an on-off relationship for a number of years and he had previously been violent towards her, the court heard.

It is alleged Mr Basson had three illegally-held firearms and 68 rounds of live ammunition at the property.

Ms Slater, 37, died in hospital two days afterwards, and the bullet that killed her was later recovered by a Home Office pathologist, the court heard.

The trial continues.