Murderer denies taking knife to kill ex-girlfriend

A man who killed his ex-partner has denied using a knife or taking a weapon to the murder site, Mold Crown Court has heard.

David Nicholas Davies, 25, has admitted murdering Emma Louise Baum at her home in Penygroes in Gwynedd in July 2016.

However he disputes the full case against him and the hearing will determine the basis of sentence.

The court heard he stood and watched as Ms Baum's mother tried to revive her daughter's lifeless body.

Ms Baum, 22, died from multiple head wounds.

Witnesses called 999 after hearing screaming coming from her house at about 04:00 BST on Monday 18th July 2016.

When police arrived they reported all was quiet and the house was in darkness.

Ms Baum had at least 20 injuries to her head including stab, incised and puncture wounds.

The prosecution said Davies had disposed of the murder weapon or weapons before returning to his home following the attack.

Davies said he used a crowbar not a knife in the attack and did not take a weapon with him.

'Hysterical call'

Opening the case, barrister Simon Mills said: "On the morning after the murder, the defendant returned to the scene and reported finding Emma Louise Baum on her back doorstep. This was at 10:36.

"Shortly afterwards, he called Emma Louise Baum's mother and told her what he'd found. It's the prosecution's case that he intended her to come to the scene because he made a second, more hysterical call shortly afterwards.

"When she came, he watched and did nothing as she performed CPR on her daughter, despite the fact that he would have known that she was dead and had been lying there for some hours."

Judge Keith Thomas heard Ms Baum and Davies' two-year-old son was left alone for 10 hours after his mother's murder.

It was alleged Davies said when he brought the boy downstairs he told him: "Oh I am so sorry. You have lost your mother.

"You can come and live with your daddy."

Davies denies earlier allegations he had been violent towards her and had made threats to kill.

Mr Mills said he could call evidence alleging Davies had previously talked about Ms Baum being "six feet under" and that he could "put her in a box".

The prosecution also claims Davies sent text messages to his victim's phone after he'd killed her in order to create an alibi for himself.

The case, known as a Newton hearing, continues.