Murder accused 'violently attacked' girlfriend's mother (From Borehamwood Times)

Borehamwood man accused of Jeffrey Howe murder 'violently attacked' girlfriend's mother

2:51pm Thursday 21st January 2010 in News By Rebecca Lowe

THE Borehamwood man on trial for the murder and dismemberment of a Southgate salesman violently attacked his girlfriend's mother, a court heard this morning.

Stephen Marshall, 38, of Ayot Path, Borehamwood, and his partner Sarah Bush, 21, of Fernwood Court, Southgate, both deny murdering Jeffrey Howe in March last year.

Miss Bush's mother, Michaela Yates, described Mr Marshall as "charming and likeable" when he first moved into her house in July 2008, but said she threw the couple out four months later after he became aggressive.

Ms Yates said: "I heard noise and went into the room, where I saw Sarah lying lifeless. I thought she was dead.

"At first Steve didn't let me through the door, then he put on the light and said to me: 'Michaela, you're next.'

"He got me around the neck and tried to push me backwards under the banisters, but I held on. He was breaking my neck and back. He threw me on the floor and I scrunched up into a ball.

"Then he grabbed me by the ponytail and smashed my head against the wall and floor.

"It was like being in a horror film."

Ms Yates was one of several friends, partners and colleagues Mr Marshall has allegedly attacked over the past few years, the court has heard previously.

When asked if Miss Bush was scared of her boyfriend, Ms Yates replied: "Yes, she was terrified of him."

The 41-year-old, who once worked as a cleaner for Mr Howe, said she rarely saw her daughter during her adolescence because she was under the care of social services until she was 21.

Miss Bush had been pregnant four times since she was 15, her mother said, and her first child died when he was ten weeks old.

Ms Yates said she believed Miss Bush had been working as a prostitute since her teens, but she "wasn't sure" because they were rarely in touch.

She said Miss Bush aborted Mr Marshall's child in 2008 because she feared it might have similar problems to her first child and because of "her fear of Steve".

Miss Bush then told Mr Marshall she had a miscarriage because "she was scared Steve would kill her".

The case continues.