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Margaret Barnes: Woman, 71, who mistook house for her hotel dragged and beaten to death by angry owner after he finds her in his bed

The injuries suffered by the Margaret Barnes at the hands of David Redfern were 'similar to those expected in a high-speed road traffic collision'

BARMOUTH, WALES: An elderly woman lost her life after mistaking a home for her B&B. Margaret Barnes from Birmingham was reportedly enjoying a vacation in Marine Parade in Barmouth in July 2022 and had booked the Wavecrest B&B for herself. However, she instead entered Belmont House, a large five-story townhouse owned by the accused David Redfern and his partner Nicola Learoyd-Lewis, after a drinking session.

A jury at Caernarfon Crown Court was told that after finding the 71-year-old sleeping inside his property in a semi-naked condition in the early hours of July 11, 2022, Redfern lost his temper and fatally thrashed her, WalesOnline reported. Prosecutor Michael Jones KC said, “Mrs Barnes had been drinking and, whether she thought this was the Wavecrest, she went in and went to bed. She mistook the defendant's address for the B&B but it was a mistake which ultimately cost her her life.”

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‘Utterly gratuitous and completely unlawful’

The court was also told that the accused slammed the pensioner by referring to her as a “thieving c***”. He allegedly pulled her down the stairs by the ankles after the unexpected finding. It has been said that Redfern even called the cops to report the uninvited guest. Jones stated, “However, what the defendant did next to Mrs Barnes was out of all proportion to the situation. What the defendant did was totally unjustified, utterly gratuitous and completely unlawful.”

CCTV footage from around the same time Barnes’ died showed Redfern reportedly telling his partner, “I’m sorry for kicking her in the ribs and dragging her down the stairs.” To which, Learoyd-Lewis replied, “You could have just escorted her out. It’s an old lady.” The partner of the alleged killer had also said, “Please don’t die, please don’t die,” while the old woman was losing her life because of injuries “similar to those expected in a high-speed road traffic collision.”

‘What he did to her was clearly done in fury’

Prosecutor Jones claimed before Mr Justice Bourne KC, “The prosecution case is the reason Margaret Barnes is dead is because she had the misfortune of coming across a man who, whatever issues he had, was an angry bully. What he did to her was clearly done in fury.”

Meanwhile, the trial is expected to go on for three weeks after Home Office pathologist Dr. Brian Rodgers determined that Barnes’ cause of death was severe blunt force trauma. It was also reportedly discovered that she suffered fractures in her rib and a neck fracture. Redfern has denied any wrongdoing after being accused of murder and manslaughter.

‘Seems a bit excessive’

The cruel case has attracted people’s attention online with a user tweeting, “Holy crap, WTAF 🤬.” Another one wrote, “Seems a bit excessive…” “Did I really just read that a brute killed an elderly lady because she mistook his house for a b&b a few doors down?! I have a few questions. Why is he denying any wrongdoing? and how the hell did she get in his house when he was out? #MargaretBarnes,” the third one shared.“Killing an old woman like this is vicious murder. There's no way she was a physical threat to the owner,” fourth person noted. “The details of what he did to her are almost unbearable to read. The complete lack of humanity is shocking,” wrote another.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.