Wisbech murder suspect David Newton described killing of Una Crown as ‘evil’ during police interview

A court heard how fire officers determined within five minutes of being at Una Crown’s home that foul play had occurred at her property.

The trial of David Newton, 70, of Magazine Close in Wisbech continued today. He is accused of murdering his 86-year-old widowed neighbour, Una Crown.

The court heard from paramedics and fire officers who attended Mrs Crown’s property on Magazine Lane in Wisbech once her nephew had alerted emergency services that he discovered his elderly aunt dead in her hallway.

Karl Bowden, the fire station manager on duty at the time of the discovery on January 13, 2013, had arrived at the property at 12.28pm, an hour and a half after police, ambulance and other fire crews arrived at the scene.

Mr Bowden confirmed that he had entered the property and conducted an initial five-minute examination of the bungalow. He and other fire officers observed that there were three separate seats of fire.

He said: “My observation was that there was more than one seat of fire. This was non-accidental.

“It was clear to me that at the scene there was a deceased person in the hallway and more than one seat of fire.

“The cause of the fire was probably deliberate.”

Mr Bowden said that he had asked for a crime scene preservation to be put in place.

He added: “I asked for the scene to be preserved. Could the scene have been more secure? Yes.”

The three seats of fire in the property included one in Mrs Crown’s kitchen, where a burnt tea towel was found. Another was on the floor of a hallway where some burnt newspaper was found. The final seat of fire was on Mrs Crown, who had been set alight.

Evidence showed that it is believed Mrs Crown’s body had been set on fire after she had died.

Mr Bowden said that the three fires were started by a naked flame bought in from an outside person. He was certain that the three fires were started separately and had not spread from one to another.

Later in the afternoon, the court heard Newton’s first interview with the police when he was first arrested on suspicion of murder on January 31, 2013.

He had said that he only knew Mrs Crown as a neighbour who he and his wife would see in the area while walking the dog.

Newton told inspectors that he thought Mrs Crown’s murder was “terrible” and “evil” and that he thought she was a “nice lady”.

Newton said in his interview: “I got on very well with her, anytime I would see her I would speak to her.”

He said that he hadn’t seen Una Crown for the whole of January 2013 and “couldn’t remember” what he was doing on the evening of her murder.

He said his typical Saturday would be spent watching TV at home or spending time at the Wisbech Ex Servicemen’s Club, where he would drink around two or three pints.

Not up to date with what’s been said in court? Click the following links to find previous coverage of day one, two and three and four of the trial last week.

The trial continues.