Mark Donovan, 39, denies murdering Elise Mason, 37, in Great Baddow, Essex – the prosecution alleges he left her body to be discovered hours later after he had left home
A woman was allegedly beaten and strangled to death by an ex-partner at the home she used to share with him, a court has heard.
Mark Donovan, 39, denies murdering Elise Mason, 37, at his home in Chelmsford, Essex on April 25, 2023. Donovan is alleged to have “beaten and strangled her to death” before leaving her body to be discovered hours later, after he had left the house. She was found to have suffered 70 different injuries across her face and body.
Donovan is said to have called his grandmother, visited a local pub and two massage parlours before arriving at a police station in Ilford with a Chinese takeaway. There, he is said to have claimed self-defence and told police he had been “emotionally abused”.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, prosecutor Andrew Jackson said Donovan “simply could not accept that the relationship was over”, reports Essex Live. Ms Mason was reported missing to police by her mum, and her body was tragically found at the house in the early hours of April 26, only a couple of days before her birthday.
Jurors were told Elise had sustained more than 70 sites of bruising, abrasions and injury to her face, head, upper body, arms and legs. Mr Jackson said these injuries were allegedly caused by “repeated use of fists and a weapon”, said to be a broken and blood-stained table lamp that was found by police near her lifeless body.
Mr Jackson said: “In short her killer had beaten and strangled her to death in that house”. In the hours after Donovan allegedly killed Ms Mason, he had a drink at the Blue Lion pub, where he allegedly dumped Elise’s phone in a toilet, and made phonecalls to a number of people, including his grandmother. Mr Jackson added: “It was not then until the early hours on the following morning that he walked into a police station carrying and eating a takeaway Chinese meal and there he claimed to officers that he had acted in self defence.”
Chelmsford Crown Court was told that Ms Mason and Donovan met as teenagers, and were friends before they entered into a relationship. They soon began to live together and Elise acted as his carer, assisting him with everyday tasks and making sure that he took his medication. The couple split after 12 years in 2022, and Elise moved into her mother’s home.
But Mr Jackson said Donovan continued to contact Ms Mason with “a large volume” of texts and calls over several weeks. On the day of her death, Ms Mason had been in contact with her new partner.
CCTV captured the moment she left her mum’s home at 3.50pm. She arrived a little under 20 minutes later at his address, which the last time she was seen alive. Phone records show that at 4.42pm she messaged her partner saying ‘you okay babe’. He responded seven minutes later to say ‘course babe’ but this reply was never marked as read, the court heard.
Mr Jackson said: “It tells you that at 4.42pm, half an hour after she went in, she appears to be capable of sending a message, but something happened between then and 4.49pm that meant she could not read his response. The prosecution case is that in that period of time was when the murderous assault on her took place.”
The prosecution says Ms Mason was left dead in the house for several hours before he spoke to police officers at a station in Ilford. Mr Jackson said: “They called paramedics but nothing could be done and she was declared dead at the scene. Her body was found laying on the floor very close to the front door. Her body had been found covered with a blanket when it was found. Next to her was a blood stained, broken table lamp betraying its use as a weapon. It had her blood on it. Also found next to her was a love letter from her new boyfriend. You can readily conclude that she had been carrying it in her handbag which was found nearby.
“That was the bag that she was carrying over her shoulder as she took the fatal walk to Rothmans Avenue that day. The prosecution say that you can readily conclude that he [Donovan] saw that letter and it was that and her texting him that afternoon that probably caused that anger and murderous violence towards Elise.”
The trial continues.
