Couple searched online about the smell of dead bodies

A couple accused of murdering a pensioner and leaving her to rot under two duvets made online searches on decomposition scent, a court heard.

Chelsea Grant, 28. and Xyaire Howard, 23, are alleged to have killed former bank worker Susan Hawkey, 71, before leaving her body under duvets and amongst piles of rubbish.

Her body was found decomposing in her flat in Aylesbury Road, Neasden, northwest London on 26 September 2022.

She had been blindfolded, with her arms tied behind her head with shoelaces and tape, before being strangled by a piece of black fabric.

Grant, who was pregnant at the time of the alleged murder, and Howard then spent £13,000 on Ms Hawkey’s card as she lay dead, buying items including perfumes, clothes, shoes, cannabis and alcohol.

The pair have resorted to blaming each other, with Howard insisting that he did not strangle Ms Hawkey.

Mother-of-two Grant claims she never went into the flat, only standing outside to see if she could smell the body decomposing.

Jurors heard Grant made 65 searches on the subject of bodies decomposing, including ‘how long does a dead body smell?’

The pair are seen to have re-visited the property on CCTV over a week after the alleged murder took place on September 7, shining a torch inside the flat.

Grant then searched on her phone: ‘Can we smell a dead body?’ and ‘can neighbours smell a dead body?’

Howard insists that although he bound Mrs Hawkey with tape to get her to reveal her PIN number, he did not strangle her.

Annabel Darlow, KC, asked Howard in cross-examination: ‘Did she (Miss Grant) tell you I am worried about smelling dead bodies?’

He replied: ‘She didn’t.’

Further searches came from Howard himself, who at 3am was looking up PPE equipment he claimed was for his work on a construction site.

Miss Darlow asked: ‘We can see that at 3 o’clock in the morning, we can see you searching for a whole face respirator.

‘You had no interest in working on a grungy building site, you were going to Aylesbury Street to deal with the body.’

Howard replied: ‘I was supposed to start on the 22nd September, but I got sacked on the 21st because I didn’t go to work on the 20th.

‘I was planning to do the (PPE) order when I woke up, but I woke up and saw the message that I was sacked.’

The court heard further searches from the pair, including: ‘What time do retirees get paid?’

Miss Darlow said: ‘You wanted to figure out when Miss Hawkey’s pension came in.

‘The reality is, that the two of you, knowing full well that Miss Hawkey was dead, thought that the money would keep flowing in from her pension.

‘Surely that is the only sensible explanation from the question, ‘what do retirees get paid?’

‘You were planning with Miss Grant on leaving Miss Hawkey’s body decaying while you milk her card.

‘Then you want to find out not only what day she is going to get paid, but how much.

‘You searched for benefits for pensioners over 70, UK.

‘She would have been 5 days as an over 70 year old, you knew her date of birth, and that is why you were searching for over 70.

‘You didn’t want to find a rough figure, you wanted to find out exactly what you would get.’

Howard denied each of the prosecutor’s allegations.

Grant and Howard, of Press Road, Neasden, deny murder.

Grant denies three counts of robbery, while Howard denies two and admits one.

They both admit two counts of fraud.

The trial continues.
ends