Ex-Stepson 'Ordered Mother-Of-Five's Murder'

A mother-of-five was murdered while tending her horses because her former stepson feared she was about to go to the police with an allegation against him, a court was told.

Pennie Davis, 47, was found stabbed to death in a field near Beaulieu in the New Forest on 2 September last year.

The Sainsbury's worker had only got married a few months previously, the jury at Winchester Crown Court heard.

Her former stepson Ben Carr, 22, Samantha Maclean, 28 and Justin Robertson, 36, all deny conspiracy to murder. Mr Robertson also denies murder.

Mrs Davis had previously been in a relationship with Carr's father, Timothy, who was due to get married last summer, the court was told.

The prosecution allege that Ben Carr arranged to pay Robertson £1,500 to kill Mrs Davis after learning that she had sent Facebook messages to his father's bride-to-be, including a reference to the allegations she had made against the defendant.

Prosecuting counsel Richard Smith QC told the jury that one of the messages Mrs Davis sent to the woman read: "Good luck, by the way. Maybe people will realise now what a nightmare I went through.

"And by the way, I was still seeing Tim when you first met him. Know the dates. Hey ho. Good luck, you will need it."

Mrs Davis later sent another message to a male friend on Facebook saying she had "lost the plot the other night" and sent Tim Carr's wife-to-be a message online, Mr Smith added.

"She was threatening to throw his life into utter turmoil with those allegations made against him (Ben Carr)," said Mr Smith.

"Killing Pennie Davis was the only way he could bring those allegations to an end."

The trial continues.