India Chipchase: Jury hears evidence from policeman who found 20-year-old's body in defendant's house

On the ninth day of the trial of Edward Tenniswood, aged 52, the jury heard evidence from PC Steven Knight, who was the officer who found Miss Chipchase’s body after police smashed open the door of the defendant’s house.

Giving evidence, PC Knight said: “The door was breached. I went straight up the stairs to the landing, right and then right again into the front bedroom.

“As I got to the doorway, I could see a mattress in front of me with a blanket on the top of it and items around the edge of the room.

“I could see the shape of a figure. It was the hair at the top of the mattress I could see.

“I thought it was fur at first until I got closer and saw it was black hair.

“As I got closer I could see the hair was displayed, instead of being down it was pulled up and around. Sort of like a halo.”

The jury were also shown bodycam footage from another police officer who entered Tenniswood’s Stanley Road property at 3.45pm on January 31.

A female officer is heard saying: “She’s gone. Oh no. She’s gone.”

Samuel Stein QC, defending, asked PC Knight: “You were saying words to the effect of ‘Wake up, wake up it’s the police’.

“When you saw India Chipchase, she appeared to be in such a natural position that she might have been asleep?”

PC Knight said: “Yes.”

Tenniswood denies raping and killing the 20-year-old whose body was found at his home in Northampton.

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