A man accused of beating his partner to death was allegedly involved in a mocking telephone conversation about “exterminating rats” while her body lay undiscovered, the High Court has heard.
Prosecutors claimed Jamie Love (23) and his mother both took part in the discussion less than 48 hours after Kathryn Parton (34) was killed in east Belfast.
Details emerged as Suzanne Love (43) was refused bail over her alleged role in disposing of evidence and helping her son flee the scene.
Ms Parton’s body was found in the blood-stained bedroom of the house in Madrid Street on May 15.
Post-mortem examinations indicated the victim, known as Kat, died from haemorrhaging, lacerations to the scalp and nasal fractures following a sustained assault to the head involving no weapons.
Police believe she was attacked on May 9, but only discovered six days later when her father went to check on her.
Jamie Love, who was in a relationship with the victim and lived at the Madrid Street address, has been charged with her murder based on CCTV and witness evidence.
His mother, from Isoline Street, Belfast, faces counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice and assisting an offender.
The court heard Ms Love was collected by a third accused, Reece Oliver (22), of Castleton Avenue, Belfast, and taken to Ms Parton’s home on the night she is believed to have been killed.
Twenty minutes later the three defendants were seen on footage leaving the house together with belongings and a dog.
In newly disclosed details about the investigation, a Crown lawyer said police obtained recordings of a telephone call on May 11 to an unnamed prisoner at Maghaberry Prison.
During the conversation Jamie Love allegedly stated: “What happened last night shouldn’t have happened.”
The unidentified inmate replied: “I told you it shouldn’t have happened.”
According to the prosecutor Suzanne Love took part in the discussions over a speaker phone and interjected to say: “It should have”.
Counsel continued: “There was an inaudible portion, and then Mr Love is heard to say ‘what you do with rats is exterminate them’.
“The prisoner mockingly laughs and says ‘exterminate’.”
She claimed Suzanne Love joined in the laughing, used the same term and stated: “That’s what was going through my head”.
Mr Justice O’Hara was told the victim had been found lying on the bedroom floor, with significant amounts of blood around her body as well as on the walls, a mirror and chest of drawers.
Bloodied prints from Ugg boots and Nike trainers located on the duvet matched those worn by Ms Love and her son in CCTV footage of them at the scene.
Similar footwear subsequently seized from her home were freshly washed and put out to dry, the prosecutor said.
During police interviews she denied knowing anything about Ms Parton’s death, claiming she went to Madrid Street on May 9 to help collect her son’s belongings. She said the victim was sitting on the floor crying, but not badly injured.
The prosecution contends Ms Love washed, concealed and disposed of evidence.
At one point the judge suggested the alleged circumstances made it seem as if the murder may have been committed while Ms Love was present in the house.
Refusing bail, the judge cited issues around Ms Love’s alleged presence in the victim’s home, stating: “She has given conflicting, inconsistent, incoherent and incredible versions of what happened on the night of May 9″.