Woman accused of Wigan dad's murder quizzed on internet searches

Rachel Fulstow, 37, is accused of being in on the plan to harm Liam Smith, 38, who she had a one-night stand with.

She claims the first she knew he had come to harm was when her boyfriend Michael Hillier, 39, turned up at her home after the attack, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.

Mr Smith had been lured from his home and shot in the face, then had sulphuric acid poured over him.

The father-of-two, an electrician from Shevington, was declared dead at the scene on November 24.

She claims she was too petrified of Hillier, a “significant” drug dealer, to go to the police so instead lied to detectives.

Both Hillier, from Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, and Fulstow, from Andrew Drive, York, deny murder. Hillier has admitted manslaughter.

Fulstow also denies perverting the course of justice.

Under cross examination Jason Pitter KC, prosecuting, put to Fulstow details of alleged incriminating searches made on her phone.

Six months before the killing, Fulstow admitted searching for an electrician in Wigan and looking up details of Mr Smith’s firm.

Mr Pitter said: “Innocent searches, for your curiosity?”

“Yes,” replied Fulstow.

Fulstow also searched for a Shogun car, the same make as that driven by Hillier and later burnt out.

Searches were also found titled, “How long does it take a car to burn?”

Mr Pitter said: “That’s quite a specific thing to look for. Innocent search? Just a coincidence?”

“Yes,” replied Fulstow.

Mr Pitter continued: “The search was what was going to happen to the Shogun, wasn’t it?”

“No,” replied Fulstow.

Mr Pitter said: “Was this you gaining information to help with the overall plan?”

“No,” replied Fulstow again.

Fulstow said she did not know what prompted this search.

Further searches included, “Do speed cameras have ANPR” (automatic number plate recognition), Mr Smith’s home address, response times for police and ambulance, the weather forecast in Wigan on the day of the attack and home security cameras.

Fulstow denied any of the searches were to do with her involvement in the plan to harm Mr Smith.

And she denied sending bogus text messages to Hillier to provide an alibi so police would believe he was elsewhere when Mr Smith was attacked.

Both defendants went on holiday to Jamaica six days after Mr Smith’s death. When they returned, they learned detectives had made an arrest to do with the false number plates used on the Shogun car.

Searches were made for the words “premeditated” and “custodial”.

Mr Pitter suggested Hillier and Fulstow were “beginning to panic”.

He continued: “Had the two of you in your planning sought to seriously hurt Mr Smith but when he had been killed things went too far? Is that why you were worried about him showing up at your house?”

“No,” replied Fulstow.

Earlier the court heard the attack on Mr Smith was allegedly prompted by a “one-night stand” between him and Fulstow at a York hotel in 2019.

This angered her new boyfriend Hillier, who was “led to believe” the one-night stand, arranged on Tinder, was a “non-consensual” sexual encounter, leading him to attack Mr Smith.

The trial was adjourned until Monday.