Fairground worker admitted murder (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Fairground worker admitted murder

11:44am Thursday 30th November 2006 in Swindon

FAIRGROUND worker Denis Douthwaite described himself as a murderer, a court has heard, after he was arrested following the discovery of Angela Coleman's body in her West Swindon home.

Peter Blair QC, prosecuting, told the jury at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday that Douthwaite even signed his initials next to comments he made to police in which he said he said he killed his former girlfriend.

But Douthwaite, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, clammed up when given legal advice by his solicitor, eventually presenting a statement to police in which he said Miss Coleman fell over in the bedroom and he fell on top of her after a playful argument.

The jury had been told the previous day that Douthwaite had been involved in a mystery argument with Miss Coleman at about 11pm on June 3 after attending a barbecue at the house next door in Wilmot Close, The Prinnels.

Peter Blair QC, said: "It was at this time that Douthwaite lost his temper with Angela Coleman in the bedroom of her house."

Angela told her neighbour Chris Raggatt that Douthwaite had twisted her arm and covered her mouth when she tried to scream.

Angela, known as Angie to friends, told Douthwaite in front of the neighbours that the relationship was over. He agreed to leave the party.

But when he followed her into the house he locked the door and neighbours could not get in to help her.

Mr Blair said the post-mortem examination showed Douthwaite had throttled his girlfriend.

He said: "There was bruising in her neck and cartilage there had been broken, in keeping with someone holding their hand around the throat and throttling."

A statement was also read out from Douthwaite's cousin Darren Forster, who he texted to say he had killed Angela .

His statement said: "The text read, I have killed Angie mate, what do I do?' Yesterday, the court heard the testimony of PC Mark Curle and a statement from PC Rory Draper who answered the neighbours' call to the emergency services.

After banging on the door with no response, the two officers, who arrived at about 12.35am, decided to call the force's armed response unit to get into the house.

PC Curle said he saw Douthwaite on the stairs.

He said: "The statement he said to me was I have killed her.' I pushed past him, turned up the stairs to the left hand side and went into the main bedroom and saw a female lying on the floor."

Resuscitation attempts by both PC Curle and paramedics were unsuccessful and Miss Coleman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Douthwaite's confessions to Miss Coleman's murder continued via a transcript from a call he made to the emergency services just as the police arrived.

In it Douthwaite said: "My girlfriend is dead, my girlfriend is dead. I need someone to come round, to come round because there is somebody kicking the door in."

It continued: "I killed her. I went to grab her and I killed her. I'm a murderer."

Douthwaite was taken into custody at Gablecross police station where he again admitted killing Miss Coleman, despite officers stating that he was under caution.

Douthwaite was interviewed by Det Sgt Thomas Straker in the presence of a social worker and initialled some of his early statements to police where he said he killed Miss Coleman.

But, after speaking with his solicitor, Sam Arif, for the first time during the interview he declined not to answer any more questions in relation to the statements he made the previous night.

Douthwaite denies murdering Angela Coleman.

• The trial continues.