A woman standing trial for murder has been accused of attempting to "pull the wool over the jury's eyes" by claiming that she fatally stabbed her boyfriend in self-defence.
Emma Walsh knifed partner Gary Morgan in the chest at her home on Lavan Close in Everton on April 10 this year after a night in the pub. The 31-year-old gave evidence to the jury from the witness box at Liverpool Crown Court for a third day today, Wednesday.
She was first questioned about an incident in the city centre just over two weeks earlier on the evening of Saturday, March 26. The trial had previously heard that a woman had been waiting for a bus home on Queen Square when she witnessed a violent altercation between a couple and called the police.
READ MORE: Liverpool man accused of 'extreme far right' terrorism extradited from Spain
Shortly afterwards, officers spoke to Walsh and Mr Morgan near to the Nando's branch on Hood Street and told them to go their separate ways. Walsh denied that the initial report had involved them and said that they had been "just arguing".
John Benson KC, prosecuting: "Your behaviour, shouting and then clawing at his neck, standing with your hands around his neck, alarmed her so much she made the 999 call. She said 'stop what you're doing'."
Walsh again denied that she had been involved in the incident at the bus stop. But Mr Benson continued: "You had no restraint at all did you?
"In front of members of the public, you were attacking Gary Morgan. You were overwhelmed by anger, weren't you?"
Walsh replied "no, that's not true". When asked what she and Mr Morgan had been arguing about, she said: "Just 'who you looking at, who's this, who's that?' - just normal stuff we'd argue over."
Mr Benson then referenced an occasion on which she was said to have assaulted another ex-partner, Barry Squires, after a bus journey. He said this had been sparked by Walsh following "some entirely innocuous incident involving another passenger".
But she claimed: "It was him kicking off at me. We got told to get off the bus."
The court was told that Walsh was "so angry he couldn't stay on the bus", but she had followed Mr Squires after he got off. Mr Benson added: "He said you attacked him when you got off the bus, scratching his face, going for him - a public place, no restraint."
Walsh denied she had been responsible for assaulting Mr Squires. Mr Benson asked her: "Do you make things up us you go along?"
She said: "I don't, no. I weren't with him.
"The injuries weren't me, I wasn't present with Barry Squires. I was at my dad's."
Mr Benson said: "You have this propensity to lose it. To become overwhelmed with anger."
Walsh told him "that's not true". He then turned to an incident at a barber's shop on Breck Road which led to her being convicted of assaulting an emergency services worker and receiving a curfew from magistrates in January 2021.
Mr Benson described how police attended after she and her dad had been involved in "fighting" after Walsh attended complaining over a haircut she had received. Staff reported that she had never been in the shop previously and asked her to leave as she was intoxicated.
The defendant was then said to have become racially abusive and punched the owner, getting him in a headlock. Walsh said of this: "He pushed me by the breast, he groped me by the breast."
Workers and customers then restrained her, but she "continued with her aggressive behaviour". Police attended the scene, and she was held after pushing one officer and saying "don't f***ing touch me".
Mr Benson said Walsh's "jealousy and paranoia could be seen in two other incidents" involving Mr Squires. She denied having accused him of having an affair with a worker at a Tesco store he frequented while at work.
The barrister then said she "went berserk" after he lent a lawnmower to a female neighbour. Walsh said of this: "I went to see her yeah, because apparently they were sleeping together.
"I went down to ask about the situation. She was hostile and we started fighting."
Walsh denied having gone to her address "in a temper", instead saying she had been "quite calm until she got hostile".
The woman suffered a "nasty ankle injury" following this, with police and paramedics again being called to attend. Mr Benson said: "The top and bottom of it is, an innocuous arrangement sent you into a spiral of violence and anger - because that's what you're like isn't it?"
Walsh replied: "No."
The prosecutor added: "On the night of April 10, you had another rage didn't you?"
The defendant responded: "No, I didn't."
Mr Benson suggested that she "behaves very violently when she sees red", to which Walsh said: "We both did."
He told her it was "in her makeup", but she pleaded "it's not, no". Mr Benson said: "You took a knife."
Walsh admitted she "did it to defend myself". The KC added: "You aimed a blow at Gary which he ducked or fended off, and it struck the top of his chest - causing a little wound.
"Afterwards, you hit him again with the knife. He put his arm up, probably to defend himself
"You stabbed him, and it struck him in the arm."
Mr Benson said this had been "a bit like Ayton Courtney-Stevens, to protect himself" - in reference to an incident in which she is alleged to have stabbed another former boyfriend in the wrist with a steak knife. Walsh denied all of what was said, repeating: "That's not correct."
The barrister continued: "For a third time, you stabbed him - killing him. You intended to kill him."
Walsh replied "I didn't, no". Mr Benson said: "You intended to cause him at least really serious harm, because that's what happens when you thrust a knife into someone's chest."
She remained silent for an extended period then asked him to repeat the question, then said: "I didn't hit him in the chest, I hit him in the side."
Mr Benson said she had given the emergency services "a cock and bull story" when ringing 999 following the stabbing, having told the call handler that Mr Morgan had been attacked by "some fella in town". Walsh replied: "I did yeah, I was just scared."
The prosecution counsel said: "When the police arrested you, you then said you denied any use of a knife and that the injury must have happened because he fell onto a speaker. That was a lie.
"You were trying to pull the wool over the police's eyes. its only when you were confronted with irrefutable evidence that you admitted you had done it
"The sad fact is you have an ability to attempt to lie and deceive and get yourself out of sticky situations. You've pulled the wool over this jury's eyes when you've said you acted in self-defence."
Walsh responded to this, Mr Benson's final question, by saying: "I haven't, no."
Richard Pratt KC, defending, then asked her: "Did you want to kill Gary?"
She replied: "No."
Asked about why she was crying during her call with the emergency services, Walsh said: "I was upset. I loved him."
She also said she had not intended to cause Mr Morgan "really serious injury". When shown a custody picture of herself taken following her murder arrest, she said that red marks on her face had been caused by him punching her in the face before the stabbing.
Two witnesses of an incident which led to Mr Morgan, from Prescot, being arrested on suspicion of assaulting Walsh in the early hours of February 19 this year were also called to give evidence today. They cannot be named for legal reasons, but were part of a group from Teeside who were staying in an Airbnb on Boaler Street in Kensington while visiting the city for a university open day.
Both were woken at around 3.30am upon hearing a woman screaming outside. One said: "She was asking for help, and for her dad.
"It was very loud, I was bolt awake out of a deep sleep. It was absolutely fearful.
"I opened the blinds and looked outside. I saw a man, a tall man, grab a woman, push her into a car.
"He kicked her on the floor, he was kicking her body. She wasn't fighting back, she was screaming.
"He hit her against the car, threw her against the floor and kicked her body over 10 times to the head and torso. She didn't fight back, I think she was crying.
"She was screaming. I think she was probably fearful for her life."
The woman said the kicks were "extremely forceful, angry and very violent". The second eyewitness said: "There was a girl stood outside the pub next door to us, and as she moved along the street a male followed behind her.
"She ran across the road to a gate that was slightly off the the left, opposite us. She was shouting again, 'dad, dad'.
"When I looked again, the woman was on the floor and the man had her left arm up around the back of her body. He was lying behind her and was sort of pulling her arm, almost away from her body.
"I just remember thinking he was going to break her arm. That's when I phoned the police."
The court heard that a resident of Boaler Street had also woken up after hearing the commotion and told police that the man was "banging the female's head on the pavement", "punching and kicking" the woman and "had her on the floor, bearhugging her".
The male was "swearing at her, calling her names" before a passerby intervened and she managed to flee. No further action was ultimately taken against Mr Morgan following his arrest.
Members of Victory Outreach Liverpool in Kensington - a church on Sheil Road which both had attended, and which "reaches out" to people suffering from issues including addiction and domestic violence - were called to the witness box as well. Gabriel Jerman said she met the former at a coffee morning.
During that meeting, she "looked very depressed" and had been drinking. On another occasion, Walsh and Mr Morgan sat in front of her during a service.
Ms Jerman said: "Her whole body language was low. She didn't really lift her head up.
"She didn't want to talk, she looked scared. She rushed off as well afterwards, whereas normally she would say hi."
Of Mr Morgan, she added: "He looked quite angry. He didn't want to be there, and as quick as he could he wanted to get her out of there."
Ms Jerman noticed during a prayer meeting that Walsh "had bruises, she'd been hit". In January this year, the defendant had sent her a picture showing herself with a "bust nose" and another of a bruise on her knee.
The former was said to have been taken in November last year, however Mr Benson said it "had nothing whatsoever to do with Gary Morgan" and was instead caused by Walsh hitting herself. She denied this under cross-examination.
Meanwhile, pastor Danielle Farrell said that she had appeared "dishevelled" at such an event in September last year and had "marks" on her. The witness added: "She seemed very broken.
"She seemed to be wanting help. Coming from domestic violence myself, I know that call when you want to get out.
"When she was coming, she was quite interactive with people. She'd be talking."
Of Walsh's demeanour when she attended a bible study session alongside Mr Morgan, Ms Farrell said: "She stayed at the back, she didn't engage very much. She was very quiet.
"She didn't mix with anyone. Her demeanour changed."
Walsh denies one count of murder. The trial continues.
READ NEXT: EncroChat money laundering operation shut down as £500,000 seized
Man, 25, arrested over Ashley Dale murder after CCTV released
Cannabis farm gardener covered in blood after hammer attack by rival gang
Man died after accidentally setting himself on fire in care home
