Woman found sister killed with axe, court told

A woman has told a court about the moment she found her sister dead from suspected axe wounds, allegedly inflicted by the victim's cousin.

Donald Excell, 49, is accused of killing Rita Lambourne, 58, at her home in Bexhill, East Sussex, on 12 February.

Claire Haldane, who went to her sister's house after getting a concerned call from Ms Lambourne's daughter, said: "I was in shock. Shaking, confused, I just wanted someone to come and help me."

Mr Excell denies murder and possession of a bladed article. The trial at Lewes Crown Court in Hove continues.

The court heard Ms Lambourne died after being hit five times in her living room with a blade sharp enough to cut through bone.

Lucy Lambourne, Ms Lambourne's daughter, said she phoned her aunt and asked her to check on her mother after getting worried messages from Ms Lambourne's partner Ashley Pamahandeh Kafifar.

She told the court she was on the phone with her aunt as she went into Ms Lambourne's house.

"She was frantic," Lucy Lambourne said.

"She said: 'Oh my god, you need to get down here, mum's been smashed up, love. Call an ambulance'."

She said her aunt was in the front room performing CPR on her mother when she arrived.

"She begged me to leave. I didn't want to go," she added.

"Claire was adamant she didn't want me in the room. I reluctantly went back outside.

"All I remember is walking out the back door. I crunched up into a ball and screamed."

One blow from a weapon believed to be an axe left a 6cm (2.36in) hole in her heart, the court heard.

The jury in Hove was also told Ms Lambourne had defensive injuries.

Simon Gledhill, for the Crown, previously said in court: "The blow to her chest was delivered with such force, the blade passed through her skin, fat, muscle and ribs, going straight into her heart."

Ms Lambourne's family said in a statement she was "adored by her family and friends".

Mr Excell said nothing and did not offer an alibi when interviewed by police, the court heard.

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