Folkestone mother Elaine Taylor gives evidence from beyond the grave in assault trial of lover Gary Tomlinson
by Paul Hooper
A Folkestone mother has spoken from beyond the grave... to
accuse her lover of being a bullying control freak.
Elaine Taylor told a jury she had been punched, kicked,
bitten and had teeth knocked out by her boyfriend - even
though she is dead.
The 60-year-old divorcee made the allegations against Gary
Tomlinson in May 2011 - just six weeks before she passed away.
But a video of her interview with police was played
to jurors at Canterbury Crown Court who were told her death
had nothing to do with the assault allegations.
Tomlinson, 46, of Elventon Close, Cheriton, has pleaded not
guilty to three charges of assault in April and May 2011.
Mrs Taylor was dressed in a pink top and blue jeans for her
interview with police officers at Folkestone's vulnerable victim
suite.
Clutching a diary in which she had written her
assault allegations, and drinking a cup of coffee, she told a
detective how she had been "wooed" by the charming Tomlinson in
2009.
She said: "I tried to help him because he had nowhere to live
and he kind of won me over. He kind of boxed me in."
"My life has been turned upside down by a control freak..." – what Elaine Taylor claimed in video evidence
Mrs Taylor said Tomlinson moved into her flat in
Lawrence Court, in Dover Road, and two lived together for 18
months before the alleged attacks and shared an "on-off"
relationship.
"He kind of wooed me," she said. "He can be charming. I suppose
I was quite gullible. But sometimes I didn't want him there because
he was so horrible. Then he would come around all charming. He buys
me flowers or chocolates."
As the video was being played, Tomlinson broke down and
asked to leave the dock for a few minutes to compose himself.
Mrs Taylor said their relationship quickly
deteriorated and she was subjected to frequent attacks where she
was punched and kicked in the ribs and had a tooth crown knocked
out.
She claimed Tomlinson blamed his upbringing for his mood swings,
adding: "There were lots of times I didn't want him there because
of the violence, but he can be quite foxy and cunning. My life has
been turned upside down by a control freak."
She alleged that if she ever went out "he wanted to know where
had I been, what did I buy, if I took money out of the bank...
things like that".
On one occasion, she claimed: "It just kicked
off again. He takes too much amphetamine and he was up all night
walking the streets. He gets bad tempered and says he suffers from
his nerves and depression.
"I wanted to go and see my son Matthew because it was his
birthday and it was important.
"He just punched me in my face and I lost my crown and punched
me in my side and I started to cry.
"I hadn't said a word to him because I don't want to talk to him
when he is like that. I couldn't go anywhere because of my lost
tooth and it hurt as well.
"He then cleared off and when he came back it was like: 'Hello,
baby', " she claimed.
Mrs Taylor also claimed that a few days before the police
interview she had been attacked by Tomlinson when her hair was
pulled out and she was punched.
She said: "I had 14 bruises. He stamped on my leg, I thought it
was broken. There also have bite marks on my arm. I think he is
mentally unbalanced," she alleged.
Alexandra Kettle-Williams, prosecuting, had earlier told
the jury: "Mrs Taylor, who the Crown say is the victim, is
regretfully deceased but the prosecution say this has nothing to do
with Mr Tomlinson."
The trial continues.
09/01/13
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