Mother-of-nine was 'bludgeoned to death, hacked into pieces and dumped in a wheelie bin by her furious boyfriend because she was pregnant AGAIN'

• Boyfriend accused of cutting up her body before it was incinerated at rubbish tip

By Kerry Mcqueeney MydeaMedia

Shauna Lee was killed with a lump hammer and had her remains dumped in a wheelie bin, the court heard

A missing mother-of-nine was killed with hammer by her boyfriend because he was angry she had become pregnant again, a court has heard.

Karl Burman has gone on trial for the murder of Coventry woman Shauna Lee - despite the fact her body has never been found.

The 24-year-old is accused of killing her with a hammer before dumping her body in a wheelie bin, prosecutors told Birmingham Crown Court.

However, the 36-year-old's remains were never discovered because she was incinerated with household rubbish at the tip, it has been claimed.

Prosecutor Mark Wall QC told the court Burman, of Foleshill, Coventry, had chopped up her body, put the parts in bin bags and chucked them away with the rubbish.

Burman, who denies murder, had become angry after Miss Lee told him she was pregnant, the jury heard.

It is alleged that Burman confessed the killing to police, mental health experts and an adult supervisor after Miss Lee went missing in autumn 2010.

A few days before, Burman had attacked Miss Lee after she told him she was pregnant, the court heard.

 

However, police did not interview him until December 5 - after he allegedly killed her, claim the prosecution.

After keeping quiet for six months Burman broke his silence by dialling 999 on May 15 last year, the trial was told.

He was arrested and, in interviews, Burman claimed that the killing was an assisted suicide because Miss Lee had asked him to kill her.

Shauna Lee's body has never been found, but her Coventry flat (pictured) was left with blood on the walls and floorboards

Mr Wall said: 'He said he hit her over the head with a hammer.

'He said he then chopped her up using “garden loppers”. He claimed it took him a day or two to chop her up.

'He said after he had chopped her up he put her in bin bags and chucked her away. All in all he said it took about seven days.'

Following his alleged confession, Burman was then taken to the Caludon Centre mental health unit at University Hospital where he was assessed.

'He said he hit her over the head with a hammer'

Burman allegedly told one expert he had 'done her in' and at a later date he told an appropriate adult - appointed to assist Burman during police questioning - that he had killed Miss Lee and chopped her up using tools he had bought from Machine Mart.

When Burman was eventually brought before a court charged with murder he pleaded not guilty.

The jury was shown photographs of Miss Lee’s flat, in Lower Coundon, with blood on the walls and floorboards.

Burman, who had an account at Machine Mart, had purchased a heavy duty pair of 'garden loppers' from them on November 10, 2010.

It is claimed that Burman used a pair of garden loppers, like those pictured, to hack up Ms Lee's body

Dumped: Burman is accused of chopping up her body before putting it into a wheelie bin

Mr Wall added: 'These loppers were tested by a pathologist and an expert from the University of Leicester.

'They were asked to see how effective these loppers would be at dismembering a body. The answer is very.'

Jurors were also shown video footage, taken by police, showing the route household waste takes from a wheelie bin to an incinerator.

He said that unless a bin is unusually heavy it is not inspected and if she had been thrown in a wheelie bin Miss Lee could easily have escaped the notice of council employees.

The trial was told that Miss Lee had told friends and family that she was pregnant. Staff from Coventry Mind, who spoke to Burman, said that had made him angry.

Just a few days before her disappearance Miss Lee had told police that when she had told Burman she was pregnant he had taken her to hospital urging her to have an abortion.

When they returned home after not being seen by doctors he was said to have repeatedly punched her in the stomach and on the back of the head in a 30 minute attack.

Miss Lee told police about the assault on October 30 but police only spoke to Burman on December 5 - by which time the prosecution allege he had already killed her.

During the interview he told police he was 'enraged' when he attacked her.

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