NEIGHBOURS who grew suspicious about a pensioner’s welfare when they heard her sports car being driven away at speed found her body in a pool of blood on her living room floor, a jury was told yesterday.
Jill Hibberd, 73, was stabbed 70 times in what the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) allege was a ‘savage attack’ carried out by 40-year-old Lee Fueloep at her home on Roy Kilner Road, Wombwell, on May 30.
She sustained wounds to her face, neck, arms and legs and blows which fatally damaged her spleen, kidneys, liver and lung.
Fueloep, of nearby Willow Garth, denies murder and has been appearing at Sheffield Crown Court since Tuesday in a trial which is expected to last up to four weeks.
Neighbour Tony O’Connell, who found Ms Hibberd’s body, said her red Audi TT was not on the driveway when he was approached by another neighbour, Susan Spencer, at about 7.40am on May 31.
“I remember the lights in Jill’s house being on later than usual the night before and her car wasn’t on the drive at about 11pm when I went to bed.
“Susan approached me in the morning when I was on my way out and she looked really worried as her husband, Peter, said he had heard Jill’s car screech off the drive the night before.
“We walked over and knocked on the door and heard Jill’s two dogs bark, but there was no answer. I tried the door and it was unlocked, so I opened it and shouted out to Jill as I didn’t want to frighten her if she was upstairs.
“There was no response so we went in. A plant had been knocked onto the floor so I initially thought she had been burgled as Jill was always well presented, but the television was still there and switched on.
“I couldn’t see her body until I went further in as she was tight against the back wall. There were obvious signs of injury and I knew she was immediately dead due to the amount of blood that was on the floor.”
Ms Hibberd, who was described as a ‘workaholic’ in court, owned Fantasia a massage parlour on Attercliffe, Road, Sheffield.
She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics at 7.59am.
Kama Melly QC, prosecuting, said the victim had arrived home as usual at about 6.30pm on May 30 before adding that Fueloep was captured on CCTV in the area at 8.44pm.
Neighbour Peter Spencer, who witnessed Ms Hibberd’s Audi being driven away, said: “It was about 9pm and it wasn’t at all normal for Jill to do that. I didn’t see who was driving it but it reversed quickly, erratically, and drove towards Barnsley Road, partly on the path at first.”
His wife, Susan, added: “I couldn’t get it out of my head when Peter told me about the car driving away as Jill was a creature of habit and instinct told me something wasn’t right.
“I toyed with the idea of ringing the police the night before but I didn’t as I didn’t think me reporting a car being driven away would be taken seriously.
“I kept looking out of the window, hoping the car would come back, but it didn’t so I asked Tony, who lives opposite Jill’s house, for his thoughts and we decided to go and check on her by knocking on the door.
“There didn’t appear like there was anything wrong at first but a plant was on the floor, as were some coasters, so it looked like there had been a scuffle.
“Jill’s body was visible the further you went into the living room. I have been a nurse for 29 years so I felt for a pulse but there wasn’t one.”
The car was located on Finch Avenue, Newmillerdam, Wakefield, by police almost a week later, wearing different registration plates stolen from a vehicle on Wharncliffe Street, Barnsley.
The trial continues.
