Swansea murder trial: John Williams' home looked like 'bomb had gone off'

Mr Williams was found dead in his home in March

The home of a man found battered to death looked like a "bomb had gone off", a murder trial has heard.

John "Jack" Williams, 67, had been targeted in a robbery in March, Swansea Crown Court was told.

Jonathan Donne, 42, Gemma Owens, 31, and Simon Cairns, 46, all from Swansea, deny murder and robbery charges.

The court was told Mr Williams had been growing and selling cannabis and the trio believed he had large amounts of money and drugs.

Mr Williams's former partner, Diane Ahearn, described how she found his body on the living room carpet of his Swansea home with his hands tied behind his back.

In a statement read to the court, she said she had gone to see him after he failed to answer her phone calls, as they kept in touch regularly.

He did not answer the door so she alerted a neighbour so she could try to get into the back of the house.

The trial is expected to last up to four weeks at Swansea Crown Court

Jurors were told she managed to break a vent in the kitchen door and unlock it.

She saw Mr Williams' body lying on the living room carpet, the court heard.

"I ran towards him. I touched his neck - it was frozen. I knew he had passed away. I screamed and ran towards the front door," she said.

Stephen Williams, who had driven Ms Ahearn to the property in Pentre-Chwyth Road, was called in by the neighbour.

"What I saw will stay with me forever," he said in written evidence read to the trial.

"I saw a body on the floor. Diane was hysterical. I saw there was blood near his head."

Forensic officers were called to Mr Williams's as part of the police investigation

Mr Williams said the living room "looked like an atom bomb had gone off" with furniture overturned, and objects strewn around the room.

Jurors also heard evidence from Natalie Griffith, an associate of Ms Owen, who alleged that she called her in a "excited" state, saying she had "loads of Bs and whites" - slang for heroin and crack cocaine.

She also said Mr Donne came on the phone and said he had robbed somebody with a knife.

Christopher Clee QC, defence barrister for Mr Donne, asked what had happened to the phone and Ms Griffith said she had sold it and, although she later bought it back, she had forgotten its pin and it had been wiped.

Mr Clee said: "There was nothing said about a robbery was a knife, was there?"

Miss Griffiths replied: "It was said."

The trial continues.