Woman denies murdering mother, 35, whose ‘badly decomposed’ body was found on her child’s bunk bed
Pregnant woman denies murdering mother, 35, whose ‘badly decomposed’ body was found on her child’s bunk bed
- Ashana Studholme, 37, denied murder at the Old Bailey today
- Shakira Spencer, 35, was found dead on her home in west London
- Metropolitan officers found her decomposing body on her child’s bunk bed
- Shaun Pendlebury, 25 and Lisa Richardson, 43, are also charged with murder
A pregnant woman denied murdering a 35-year-old mother in her own home whose ‘badly decomposed’ body was found on her child’s bunk bed.
Ashana Studholme, 37, denied changes including preventing a lawful burial when she appeared at the Old Bailey today Tuesday, December, 20.
Shakira Spencer’s decomposing body was found on the bottom of her child’s bunk bed at her home in Hanwell, west London, by Metropolitan police just after 4.30pm on September, 25, 2022.
Police officers were called to the victim’s home in Holbeck Road, Hanwell, just after 4:30pm in September following concerns raised for the welfare of a woman inside.
Shakira Spencer, 35, was found dead on her home in west London. Ashana Studholme, 37, denied murder and preventing a lawful burial at the Old Bailey today, Tuesday, December, 20, 2022. Shaun Pendlebury, 25 and Lisa Richardson, 43, are also charged with murder
Officers were called to Holbeck Road in Hanwell on September, 25, 2022 by a neighbour after not seeing her for a while
The three alleged killers were arrested on 26 September and charged with murder three days later.
Pendlebury and Studholme are further charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and preventing a lawful burial.
Prosecutor Ben Holt earlier told the court: ‘On 25 September police were called to Flat 9, Lambeth House by a neighbour.
‘That was the home address of Shakira Spencer.
‘The neighbour was concerned about Ms Spencer’s whereabouts having not recently seen her.
‘She had also noticed a smell coming from her flat.
‘Officers forced entry. The body of the deceased was found on the bottom bunk bed in the children’s bedroom and badly decomposed.
‘When spoken to…she had said she had known Shakira Spencer for ten years.
‘She had recently noticed a change in her behaviour.’
The neighbour told police that Ms Spencer had lost weight and had her children taken away by social services, the court heard.
Metropolitan police found Shakira Spencer’s decomposing body in her home on Holbeck Road in Hanwell, Ealing
‘A special postmortem was carried out,’ Mr Holt continued.
‘Owing to the decomposition of the body at this stage the findings are inconclusive.’
The last known sighting of Ms Spencer was at her home address was on Thursday, September, 12, 2022.
Pendlebury, of Tewkesbury Road; Richardson, of Broomcroft Avenue, both Ealing, west London; and Studholme, of Greenhill Road, Harrow, are all charged with murder, which Studholme denies.
Pendlebury and Studholme are also charged with preventing a lawful burial, which Studholme denies.
Pendlebury and Richardson will enter their pleas on 3 February with all three set to stand trial on 4 September.