Man murdered convicted rapist with a plank of wood, court told - live updates

A man murdered a convicted rapist with a plank of wood and kept in contact with neighbours for updates about his condition, a trial has heard. Having been attacked, the victim suffered internal bleeding and later died as a result of his injuries.

Andrew Southwood, 39, is accused of murdering Carl Ball, 51, who was found fatally injured on the door of his home in Newport on August 19, 2022. The defendant, who was in a relationship with the victim’s sister, denies the charge.

A trial at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard Mr Ball lived a “troubled life”, was a user of class A drugs and a heavy drinker. In 2001 he was convicted of raping a woman and the sexual abuse of a child, for which he was sentenced to 10-years imprisonment.

A few weeks before his death, Mr Ball moved to a flat in Heron Way, in Duffryn, and had been the victim of several assaults. His flat had also been targeted with windows smashed and, on one occasion, was set alight.

Addressing the jury, prosecutor Mark Cotter KC said: “Carl Ball died on August 19, 2022 as the result of a ferocious attack upon him that involved the use of a weapon. The prosecution case is that the person who wielded that weapon intended to cause really serious physical harm to Mr. Ball and inflict the terrible injuries that caused him to die. Therefore, the prosecution assert that this is a case of murder.

“The prosecution cannot say whether the fatal attack was motivated by knowledge of Carl Ball’s criminal past. However, in a case of murder the prosecution is not required to prove why the person in question was murdered. Rather, the prosecution is required to prove who it was that carried out the murder.”

On the day of his death, Mr Ball had received a suspended prison sentence for