Teacher's Life Changed Forever After Brutal Assault
A teacher was left paralysed from the chest down after what prosecutors described as a 'vicious' attack by her former partner, a court has heard. Robert Easom, 56, is accused of breaking the neck of Trudi Burgess, also 56, during a violent argument at his home in Chipping, Lancashire.
The landscape gardener has admitted causing the injury that left Ms Burgess a tetraplegic but denies he did it intentionally or meant to cause her very serious harm. She now requires round-the-clock care and will never walk again.
A Relationship That Turned Toxic
The jury at Preston Crown Court heard that Ms Burgess met Easom while she was grieving the death of her husband from a brain tumour. He was her sister's gardener at the time. 'He offered his condolences and offered to do little jobs,' prosecutor Sarah Magill said. 'They fell in love.'
Initially, the relationship was 'loving and passionate,' but it later turned abusive and violent. The court was told of previous assaults, including an incident in 2021 where Easom wrapped Ms Burgess' head in a bed sheet until she could not breathe, and another in January where he headbutted her in their car.
Easom has pleaded guilty to these two assaults. Ms Magill said Ms Burgess had become 'alienated' from her family because of his abusive behaviour.
The Day of the Attack
On February 17 of this year, Ms Burgess finally decided to leave him. While drinking tea in bed at Easom's home, she told him she was ending their relationship. 'His reaction to this was sheer blind rage,' Ms Magill told the jury.
Fearing for her safety, a 'terrified' Ms Burgess pleaded with him, saying, 'Rob I will stay, I will stay Rob, don't hurt me.' However, his rage was 'uncontrollable.'
The prosecutor described how Easom pushed her against the headboard, grabbed her throat, and put his fist to her chin. He later returned to the room and pulled her to the end of the bed so she was face down. He then used his entire body weight to push down on her head, forcing her chin into her chest.
'She felt like her head was being folded into her body and it was cracking her skeleton,' Ms Magill said. 'She was right – he was breaking her neck.' Ms Burgess heard a crack and all feeling left her body.
Aftermath and Lies
Even after she told him she could not feel her limbs, Easom did not initially believe her. He eventually called 999, falsely claiming that Ms Burgess had fallen out of bed while they were 'mollycoddling'.
CT scans at the hospital confirmed her neck was broken. An expert orthopaedic surgeon is expected to testify that such an injury is typically seen in falls from 15 to 20 feet, not from bed height.
Ms Burgess is now paralysed from the chest down, in constant pain, and describes the sensation as being in a suit of armour two sizes too small. She requires a team of specialists for her care.
After the assault, Easom allegedly lied to Ms Burgess's sister, calling the incident 'a bit of bloody fun' and 'a horrible frolic that's gone horribly and accidentally wrong.' He was later arrested and told police in a prepared statement, 'I love Trudi more than life itself.'
The trial at Preston Crown Court continues, with jurors expected to hear Ms Burgess's account via video-recorded evidence.
