Shakira Spencer tortured and starved, Old Bailey murder trial told

Shakira Spencer's body was found badly decomposed at her home in Ealing, west London

A woman was tortured, starved and battered to death by three "sadistic" people, a court was told.

Shakira Spencer, 35, was fatally assaulted days before her badly decomposed body was found at her home in Ealing, west London, jurors heard.

Ashana Studholme, 38, Lisa Richardson, 44, both from Ealing, and Shaun Pendlebury, 26, of Harrow, deny murder.

The Old Bailey was told Ms Spencer had been "treated like a slave" by the defendants before she died.

Opening their trial, prosecutor Allison Hunter KC said: "For whatever was their unfathomable, cruel, sadistic motive, these three defendants tormented, tortured, starved, burned and eventually battered Shakira Spencer to death."

After meeting the defendants, Ms Spencer was allegedly subdued and dominated mainly by Ms Studholme and Ms Richardson to the point where she was under the trio's "complete control".

She was scalded on her feet, fed only ketchup from sachets and went from being a "beautiful, happy, healthy" size 16 in early 2021 to a "gaunt and skeletal" size six by July 2022, jurors were told.

The court heard the abuse reached a "frenzied climax" last September when Ms Spencer was beaten "to the brink of death" at Ms Studholme's home.

'Painstaking investigation'

She was bundled into the boot of a car and driven back to her flat, where she was locked in a hallway cupboard, jurors were told.

Her body was later moved to the bottom of a children's bunk bed, where it was left, it was heard.

Meanwhile, the three defendants allegedly attempted to remove all trace of Ms Spencer at their homes and any evidence of their presence at her flat.

Ms Hunter said: "It was only when neighbours saw maggots crawling out from under her door that the police were called to Shakira's address on 25 September 2022 and the painstaking investigation which ensued revealed in detail what they had done."

A pathologist was unable to identify exactly how Ms Spencer died due to the poor condition of her body, but a post-mortem examination found crushing injuries to her ear, cuts to her scalp and scalding wounds to her feet.

Mr Pendlebury, Ms Richardson and Ms Studholme also deny preventing Ms Spencer's lawful burial.

The trial continues.

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