Mum ‘strangled to death before killer doused body in acid, wrapped corpse in sheets then dumped remains next to A3’
A MUM was strangled to death before her killer doused her body in acid and wrapped it in sheets before dumping it beside a busy city centre road, a court heard.
The remains of Helen Anderson, 41, were found by a passerby in undergrowth on the A3 close to Guildford, Surrey, last year on August 23.
Forensic experts found that the corpse had been soaked in drain cleaner and wrapped in sheets when it was discovered.
Dane Messam, 52, was arrested and today denied a charge of murder in court.
Prosecutor Jeremy Benson QC told the jury at the opening trial today that Helen had last been seen alive on CCTV withdrawing cash from an ATM in North London in the company of Messam, her partner, three days before her body was found.
The court heard how in the early hours of August 23, Messam transported her body in his vehicle, a decommissioned double-decker bus, from London to Guilford – dumping it at around 3.40am.
Her body was found 12 hours later when a man flagged down a British Transport Police officer driving a police van on the A3 Stoke Road interchange.
“About an hour before the event, the defendant purchased bleach – Harpic – a wooden stiff scrubbing brush, a bottle of Mr Muscle bathroom cleaner and some sports socks at a DIY shop a 10-minute walk from his address. Those items were for him to clean the bus,” the prosecutor told Guilford Crown Court.
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The court heard how on August 18 Messam had booked two flight tickets to Jamaica for himself an Helen to attend his mum’s funeral before he allegedly killed her just days later.
“On August 23, between 2am and 5am, the defendant drove his bus from Finsbury Park to Guildford and deposited her body in a small, wooded area by a junction of the A3,” Mr Benson told the court.
“On his return he parked his bus some distance from his home and took another bus home. He is last seen on that bus’ CCTV. Later that day prior to midday, the defendant cancelled Helen’s plane ticket to Jamaica.”
The jury heard how Messam had made plans to park the bus on a farm in Oxford during his trip to Jamaica. The day after Helen’s body was found, he drove to Guilford before driving to Oxford.
It was alleged that Messam had gone to where the body was left, where he would have been able to see the police activity. He pulled into a service station off the M40 before continuing to Oxford where he was then arrested.
In court, it was alleged there “was a history of domestic violence between the defendant and the deceased”.
The prosecutor told the hearing: “For example, on July 26, 2021, an incident occurred at a club in Brighton. It was captured on CCTV.
“The defendant and Helen argued and she waved her arms. He punched her to the ground. She got up and was frogmarched away. A security man was on duty at the club. He saw Helen running towards him.
“She was distressed and shouted ‘help me, he’s gonna kill me’ and he saw the defendant following her. He was very aggressive towards them both and the police were called.
“The defendant was arrested, interviewed and charged with assault thereby occasioning actual bodily harm.
“The case had not yet been heard at court by the time Helen died.”
In a touching tribute, Helen’s family had previously said: “Our dear sister and daughter has gone. We loved you. In this life, you faced many challenges and still, you had a big heart. Goodbye dear Helen.”
Messam denies a single charge of murder.
The trial, set to run for at least four weeks, continues.