Samantha Murphy's children discovered her body after Portsmouth mum was murdered, court hears

The body of murdered mother was discovered by her children before police were called, a court has heard.

Charlie Jeans, 30, is on trial for the murder of mum-of-three Samantha Murphy, after her body was found at an address in Wadham Road, North End, on June 5 last year.

Jeans, from Margate Road, Southsea, has denied the charge.

This afternoon (Friday, June 12), Portsmouth Crown Court heard evidence that included the 999 call to police from Samantha’s former partner, Brenden Gillen, after her body was found.

Prosecuting, Joanna Martin KC explained how Samantha’s children, who had been staying with her ex the night before, were the ones who found her body on a sofa in the living room. They were ushered upstairs while he phoned the police.

On the call, Brenden said: “They were the first ones to see her. She has a boyfriend but he’s nowhere - it seems a bit odd.

“The car is outside with all the windows down as well.”

Giving evidence in court, he added: “I just sat with the children [upstairs] and hugged them.”

In police interviews, the children said that Jeans and their mother would argue “five or six times a month”.

Ms Martin told the jury that the children messaged Jeans on June 5, asking him to come back to the house because their mother “won’t wake up”. As per previous evidence, by that time he had already thrown his phone into a bush in Havant Road, Drayton.

The court also heard from Megan Moore, the mother of Alex Steele - one of the men who accompanied Jeans back to Samantha’s house in the middle of the night. Ms Moore described her son being “very distressed” by what he had seen.

She said: “Adam phoned me screaming, saying that something terrible had happened. I went home straight away.

“When I got upstairs he was on the floor in a very distressed state. He was on the floor crying, and had drunk a considerable amount of alcohol.

“He repeatedly said: ‘Charlie’s killed his bird, I don’t know what to do.’ He said he and Macen Osborne were picked up by Charlie [Jeans] and he drove them back to her house.

“He told them not to go inside - Adam pushed past and that’s when he saw Sammie, and realised she must be dead.

“He was terrified that because he and Macen were in the property, that they would also be arrested for murder.”

Proceeding