Millionaire accused of killing partner did not seem 'unduly upset' and told paramedic 'she liked rough sex', court hears
Property developer John Broadhurst appeared hungover when he arrived at the scene, Stephen Hill testifies
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Your support makes all the difference.A multimillionaire accused of murdering his partner did not seem “unduly upset” after finding her body, a paramedic told a court, adding that he “proceeded to tell me that she liked ‘rough sex’”.
John Broadhurst is accused of killing Natalie Connolly in the early hours of 18 December 2016, after discovering that she had been in contact with other men. The married father-of-three denies murder.
Paramedic Stephen Hill, who attended the scene, told Birmingham Crown Court that Mr Broadhurst “was upset and looked tired” when he arrived at his home in Kinver near Stourbridge at around 9.30am that morning.
“He was standing in the doorway and I was quite openly invited into the hall,” Mr Hill said, adding that the property developer was in his boxer shorts and appeared hungover.
After examining Connolly’s body in the hallway Mr Hill told the court that he “very soon” declared her dead.
He said Mr Broadhurst “came into the room once to ask me what had happened”.
He added: “I asked him to return back into the living room which he did straight away. He then proceeded to tell me that she liked ‘rough sex’.”
The paramedic said that the 40-year-old, who did not know Connolly’s date of birth, said he had last seen her at around 2am.
“He did seem quite vague,” Mr Hill told the court. “He didn’t seem unduly upset. He seemed concerned.”
In a statement read to the court, Mr Broadhurst’s former partner, Charlotte Dummer, said she had been in a relationship with him for around seven years.
The couple split around three months before Connolly’s death.
Ms Dummer said that her former partner was never violent during their relationship.
The 40-year-old told her that he first met Connolly in a pub in Bewdley, Worcestershire.
“The first thing John said to me was ‘Natalie’s dead’,” Ms Dummer said when describing a phone call from him on 18 December. “I was very bewildered by this phone call. He sounded like he was in shock.”
The trial continues.
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