Mum found decomposing in her flat was 'tortured and beaten' over several days
3 February 2023, 19:29
A mother who was found decomposing in her flat had been "tortured and beaten" for several days, prosecutors have claimed.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Shakira Spencer was found at her home in Ealing, west London in September last year after a call from her neighbours, who reported a bad smell coming from her flat.
Such was her state of decomposition that officers could only identify her from her dental records, the Mirror reported.
Lisa Richardson, 43, denied murdering Ms Spencer, 35, and preventing a lawful burial on Friday. Her pregnant co-defendant Ashana Studholme also denied the charges in a previous hearing. Both women have been kept in custody.
Shaun Pendlebury, 24, is due to enter a plea on March 24. A trial has been set for September 4.
A court previously heard how Ms Spencer was tortured before being taken back to her home. Her body was found lying on her child's bunk.
All three co-defendants were arrested the day after Ms Spencer was discovered.
Ms Frazer was last seen on September 12 that year. A neighbour said they were worried that she had lost a lot of weight in the months before she died.
When the body was found, Met Police Detective Inspector James Massey said: "On September 25, 2022, at approximately 5pm, police were called to her home address [following] concerns by a neighbour who had not seen Shakira for at least two weeks and there was a concerning smell coming from the address.
"Police attended that evening and forced entry and Shakira was found deceased, heavily decomposed, on a bottom bunkbed of the address."
