"I loved her for who she was" says woman accused of lover's murder

A Wigan woman on trial for Lyndsey Vaux's murder told the court "I loved her for who she was".
Lyndsey VauxLyndsey Vaux
Lyndsey Vaux

Becky Reid, 32, continues to give evidence in her own defence this afternoon as she faces one charge of murder and one of grievous bodily harm with intent.

The former Tyldesley Highfield special school student has taken the stand at Manchester Crown Court to deny violence in her previous relationships.

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Defence barrister, Simon Csoka QC, questioned Reid about growing up with a "violent" father, who allegedly beat her and her mum Gillian Reid and forced her to inject him with drugs when she was just 12-years-old.

The defendant's, mum, 57-year-old Gillian Reid, has also been charged with Lyndsey's murder and grievous body harm with intent towards her daughter's ex-partner Samantha Newns, who gave evidence earlier in the trial for the prosecution.

Allegations that the pair's "prolonged" abuse towards Lyndsey caused her to lose a vast amount of weight, were today denied by Becky Reid, who said that she never asked or told her lover to lose weight.

"Did it bother you when she was overweight," asked Mr Csoka QC, to which Reid responded. "No, I loved her. I loved her for who she was. I tried to urge her to go to the doctor. 'I will I will she said,' but she never did."

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Reid insisted that Lyndsey Vaux, whose family reported her as "unrecognisable" due to her drastic weight loss, was not "looking after herself".

"She just gave up on herself," she said. "She gradually gave up on herself. Of course I worried about her. I used to look at her and think that I was thin, but that she was thinner than me."

The court heard how Lyndsey was diagnosed with a thyroid condition, but continuously failed to turn up to appointments.

Reid added: “I went with her to the Thomas Linacre Centre. She was getting pains in her chest. She had to get some blood tests done but was scared of needles. After that she didn’t bother going to the appointments. She was her own individual person.”

Proceeding.

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