Shakira Spencer death: Murder accused tells jurors he gave her soup

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

A man accused of torturing and beating a woman to death has told jurors he found her in a "bad way" inside a cupboard and gave her soup.

Shaun Pendlebury, 26, his girlfriend Ashana Studholme, 38, and Lisa Richardson, 44, all deny murdering Shakira Spencer.

The 35-year-old's decomposed body was found at her home in Ealing, west London, the Old Bailey has heard.

Giving evidence, Mr Pendlebury said he had nothing to do with her death.

The prosecution has told jurors the "sadistic" defendant fed Ms Spencer ketchup sachets after she fell under the defendants' "complete control".

She went from being a "beautiful, happy, healthy" size 16 to a "gaunt and skeletal" size six shortly before her death, jurors were previously told.

It is alleged Ms Spencer died after being subjected to final beatings between 11 and 12 September last year at Ms Studholme's home, before her body was moved to her flat and left to rot.

Ms Spencer's badly decomposed remains were found after neighbours saw maggots coming from her flat in Ealing, west London.

'Couldn't believe it'

Giving evidence, Mr Pendlebury, said he had nothing to do with Ms Spencer's death and had offered to call her an ambulance after finding her in a bad state.

He told jurors he had visited her twice to take her food and check on her. The first time, he found her after hearing a noise from a cupboard, he said.

He told jurors: "To me, she seemed in a bad way. I asked if she wanted me to call her an ambulance. She said no, no, she's fine.

"I gave her the soup and said I would come back and see her later."

On his return, he helped her out of the cupboard and to a children's bed and helped her with the soup because it was too thick for her to drink through a straw, jurors heard.

Mr Pendlebury said he only found out Ms Spencer had died when Ms Studholme, who was her neighbour, called him.

He told jurors he agreed to go and check for himself because he "couldn't quite believe it".

He said: "I seen Shakira basically motionless on the bed... I left straight away. I went back to Ashana and told her she was correct."

Defence barrister David Bentley KC asked Mr Pendlebury if he had had anything to do with Ms Spencer's death or the events leading to it, to which he replied "no".

Mr Pendlebury, from Harrow; Ms Richardson and Ms Studholme, both from Ealing, also deny preventing Ms Spencer's lawful burial.

The trial continues.

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