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A heroin user who has admitted murdering three people during a ‘campaign of crime’ is now on trial accused of raping one of the victims, who was five months pregnant at the time.
Jurors have been told that Anthony Russell previously pleaded guilty to the murders of 58-year-old Julie Williams and her son, David Williams, 32, at separate flats in Coventry on October 25 and October 21 2020 respectively.
The court heard both Mr Williams and his mother had dozens of injuries after being violently murdered in two separate incidents.
Russell has also pleaded guilty to later murdering 31-year-old Nicole McGregor, who was found in woodland near Leamington Spa on October 29 the same year.
But Russell, 39, went on trial at Warwick Crown Court on Monday, accused of raping Ms McGregor before killing her, just hours after she proudly showed him a picture of her baby scan.
Russell, from Coventry, had earlier killed Mr Williams, strangling him with a lanyard, and leaving the body under his bed where it was only found by police five days later, covered in 87 injuries.
Anthony Russell, 38, of Riley Square, Coventry, has pleaded guilty to a shocking triple murder
Pictured: Nichola McGregor, also known as Nicole, pictured with twin brother Adam, who paid a heartbreaking tribute to his sister on social media shortly after her death in October 2020
Jurors heard Nicole (pictured) was five months pregnant when she was raped and murdered
Meanwhile, Mr Williams’ mother was found face down in her flat, having died from a bleed on the brain.
Russell had strangled and beaten her in a ‘violent and sustained attack’ in which she was hit five times over the head and neck, prosecutors said.
She had 113 separate injuries.
Zoe Johnson QC, opening the case, told jurors that between October 21 and his arrest on October 30, Russell had ’embarked on a campaign of crime’ then lied in ‘callous and calculating fashion’ to cover up his offences.
‘He murdered three people, raped one of his victims before killing her, seriously attacked another, leaving him with life-changing injuries, and robbed another two people,’ she added.
She said: ‘The defendant has pleaded guilty to the murders of David Williams, Julie Williams and Nicole McGregor, who was five months pregnant at the time.
The body of David Williams (pictured left), 32, was discovered 24 hours after his mother Julie Williams (pictured right) was found dead in her flat in Coventry
Pictured: Julie Williams and her son David who between them had more than 150 injuries after being killed by Anthony Russell in two separate violent attacks in Coventry, a court heard
Pictured: CCTV image of Anthony Russell, 39, from Coventry, who has admitted three murders
‘He has also pleaded guilty to attacking and robbing Roy Lavens and to robbing Brian Warr and Nicole Crisp.
‘The defendant does not admit raping Nicole McGregor, just moments before he strangled her.’
Mr Williams was murdered on October 21 after going to Russell’s flat, where they were ‘probably taking drugs together’, said the Crown’s QC.
Russell afterwards ‘confessed’ to various people he had killed a man in the days following, alleging it was because he had believed the victim ‘had sex with his girlfriend’.
Julie Williams was murdered in her flat on the night of October 24 going into October 25.
Jurors were told it is likely Russell ‘duped’ his way into her home, by claiming to know something about the then disappearance of her son.
In between the killings, he robbed Mr Warr of £30.
A map shows how the hunt for Anthony Russell (pictured inset on CCTV) played out as three victims were killed in the Midlands
The hunt came after the body of Mrs Williams, 58, was discovered at her flat at Emily Smith House, Riley Square. Pictured: Police at the scene
Fleeing Coventry, Russell then robbed 71-year-old Ms Crisp of £200 in nearby Kenilworth, Warwickshire, before arriving in Leamington Spa on October 26.
In the river-side town, Russell approached a couple; Christopher White and Nicole McGregor, who begged in Leamington.
The three made an agreement to buy drugs, later smoking them together.
Ms Johnson said: ‘Nicole told the defendant she and Christopher were expecting a baby.
‘She proudly showed the defendant a pregnancy scan that she had on her telephone.
‘The defendant congratulated them both.’
Having left Mr White to go to their usual begging spots, CCTV later showed Russell ‘walking alongside’ Ms McGregor.
Mr Williams, who was last seen on October 20 and reported missing on Saturday evening, was found dead at a nearby flat, also in Riley Square
Russell is said to have ‘lured’ Ms McGregor to nearly Newbold Comyn park ‘not for sex, but more likely for drugs’ before allegedly raping and then killing her.
Russell, having killed Ms McGregor, slept rough that night but then went and found Mr White the next morning and told him a series of ‘elaborate’ lies about the woman’s whereabouts.
It was on October 28, when a friend showed Mr White an image of a man wanted for the Williams killings in Coventry, he recognised it as Russell and ‘in shock’ went to the police.
A search team later found her body down a steep path, covered in scratches, ‘in dense underground’, likely after being dragged there in a bid to conceal the crime.
She died as a result of neck compression caused by ligature strangulation, with the post-mortem discovering she had been carrying a five-month-old foetus.
Ms Johnson said: ‘The prosecution suggest the state of Nicole’s body gives the lie to the defendant’s claim that Nicole McGregor consented to sex.’
Nichola’s twin, Adam McGregor, wrote: ‘Words can’t even express how I’m feeling at the minute. For the first time in my life I’m afraid of being alone more than ever. Fly high high darling twin. RIP twinnie look and watch over us all. Until we meet again’
Russell then attacked and robbed Mr Lavens, carjacking his Ford C-Max in an escape bid.
On October 30, police spotted the red Ford parked in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, about 50 miles from Leamington.
Russell was found ‘lying across the back seats’ of the car and arrested at 4.17am.
He denies rape and the trial continues.
Speaking after her death, the twin brother of victim Nicole paid a heartbreaking tribute to his sister.
Adam McGregor, wrote: ‘Words can’t even express how I’m feeling at the minute. For the first time in my life I’m afraid of being alone more than ever. Fly high high darling twin. RIP twinnie look and watch over us all. Until we meet again.’
Source: Daily Mail
