A man was fatally beaten with his own prosthetic leg before his accused killer left to purchase a milkshake, a court has been told. Amputee Dwayne Tuohey, 55, was discovered with severe injuries in the early hours of New Year's Day this year near some bins close to his flat in Gargrave Court, Burmantofts.
Scott Silkstone, 51, of no fixed abode, is currently on trial at Leeds Crown Court charged with his murder, which he denies. The jury has heard evidence describing how Mr Silkstone allegedly launched an assault at Dwayne's flat before dragging him into a lift and abandoning him half-naked in the street, then proceeding to buy a milkshake from a local shop. When Mr Silkstone was apprehended a few streets away shortly afterwards, he was reportedly covered in blood. He allegedly told officers: "I'll have more injuries than him."
CCTV Footage and Timeline of Events
On Tuesday, prosecutor Michelle Colborne KC presented jurors with several pieces of CCTV footage showing Mr Silkstone before and after the assault on Dwayne. The initial footage was captured at 4.01am and showed him entering a lift at Shakespeare Grange before walking back towards Gargrave Court at 4.20am. She stated: "He had no blood on his hands when he left before then heading back to, the prosecution says, the deceased's flat."
The prosecution says he is in a heightened state of agitation. He wasn't seen again until 6.30am when he leaves Gargrave Court and walks to Shakespeare Grange. Blood can be seen on his hands and face. Mr Silkstone is understood to have travelled to Shakespeare Grange, during which time somebody is known to have dialled a number using Dwayne's mobile. The identical number had been contacted on five separate occasions earlier that morning.
Attack and Aftermath
Mr Silkstone is believed to have arrived back at Gargrave Court shortly before 7am. Ms Colborne stated: "He gets out at floor three and goes to floor one in possession of a phone or phones. That is at 6.58am and the next sighting is just an hour later at 8am, when he is captured on CCTV on the first floor, the floor the flat [Dwayne's] was. He was dragging Dwayne Tuohey along the ground and into the lift."
The jury was presented with footage showing both men inside the lift. Dwayne can be observed lying on the floor while Mr Silkstone folds his legs over and stands above him. Ms Colborne stated: "The prosecution says that by that footage, the defendant had carried out a determined and brutal attack in the living room, which had involved striking his body with various objects while he was bleeding."
The defendant sustained that injury to his hand. You will hear from a forensic scientist tomorrow but I will give you a summary of these findings now. It is important because as you will hear, he dragged Dwayne Tuohey from his flat. He had subjected him to a number of blows with a number of weapons.
Forensic Evidence and Prosthetic Leg
The court heard that Dwayne was incapable of defending himself or mounting any form of defence. Jurors were additionally presented with a floor plan and photographs of the lounge, which depicted blood spatter alongside various objects, including a shelf, a prosthetic leg, a crutch and a heater stacked together. Ms Colborne stated the objects were covered with Dwayne's blood. Regarding the prosthetic leg, she explained: "What she [the forensic scientist] can say about that is that it was extremely blood-stained, primarily the cup area of the leg. Runs of blood were visible to her and the leg itself had fingerprint marks in the blood."
DNA of both the defendant and complainant were on it. Her theory is that it was handled by the defendant and used to deliver blows. Ms Colborne stated Mr Silkstone's conduct after 8am and the alleged assault "demonstrates that although he was injured and incapable of defending himself following the violence in the flat, the defendant treated him with contempt and continued to use gratuitous violence throughout a ten minute period."
Number of Blows and Lack of Response
The court heard that Mr Silkstone was recorded on camera subsequently hitting Dwayne on "no fewer than 28 occasions." She continued: "There was a lack of response from Dwayne Tuohey." The trial continues.
