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Framed portraits of some of Britain’s most notorious serial killers, including the likes of the Yorkshire Ripper, Rose West and Myra Hindley, graced the bedroom wall of a true crime fan accused of murdering her boyfriend in his sleep, heard a court.
Mother-of-one Shaye Groves is said to have plunged a dagger she kept on a bedside table into the body of her lover of 25 years, Frankie Fitzgerald, 22 times during a ‘passionate’ attack at their home in Leigh Park, Hampshire . on July 17 of last year.
Jurors in Groves’ murder trial were shown the twisted collection of portraits, which prosecutors say hung on the 27-year-old’s bedroom wall.
Among them were a chilling image of murderer Myra Hindley with blood streaming from her eyes, American brutes Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, and Gloucestershire-based serial killer Rose West.
A wall of horror: Alleged killer Shaye Groves had portraits of some of the world’s most notorious serial killers hanging on her wall, according to prosecutors.
Groves, 27, is alleged to have stabbed her boyfriend, Frankie Fitzgerald, to death in his sleep in a crime of “passion.” She is pictured posing in front of an image of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, left, and American Ted Bundy.
Winchester Crown Court previously heard that Groves called a friend ‘laughing’ after killing her lover and then displayed her body saying: ‘I’ve done it’.
Groves was allegedly “obsessed” with Mr. Fitzgerald’s “bedroom performance,” with the couple’s sex life involving bondage, dominance, submission and masochism, jurors heard.
Vikki Baitup, a friend of Groves, told police she suspected Groves was “turned on” by the “abusive” sexual nature of their relationship.
Groves denies murdering the young father by stabbing him 22 times in a “crime of passion”.
Giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court, Ms Baitup was shown displays of the dagger, allegedly used in the murder, and a BB gun belonging to Groves that could fire small ball bearings.
Examining the sheet, Ms Baitup said, “Yes, it belongs to Shaye, she keeps it in the bottom drawer next to her bed.”
Ms Baitup also told the court that Groves used to carry a ‘combat blade’ and ‘stick it up his boot’.
The court previously heard that after the murder, Groves created a “false alibi” for herself, inspired by advice from true crime documentaries to avoid being caught after her alleged crime.
Jurors were shown an image of a dagger (pictured) that prosecutors say was used by Groves to murder her boyfriend.
Jurors at Winchester Crown Court were also shown photos of a BB gun that fires ball bearings, which police say was hidden in a drawer in Groves’ bedroom.
Ms Baitup also told the jury that the two had “joked” about Mr Fitzgerald ending up “on the wall” as there was “room for him” next to the serial killers hanging on it.
Earlier, prosecutors told jury that the defendant had lied to police, telling officers that Fitzgerald had raped her, and that Groves had previously threatened to leak a sex video of them on Facebook to “make life miserable for him.”
youThe mother fabricated claims that her boyfriend had abused and raped her, and had previously threatened to do her life ‘a misery’ by leaking videos of the couple, who allegedly began using cocaine together in the months before the murder, having sex.
However, jurors heard that Groves was “obsessed” with Mr. Fitzgerald’s “bedroom performance”, with the couple’s sex life involving bondage, domination, submission and masochism, and that recordings showed that the sexual acts had been “consensual”.
Groves had even told Mr. Fitzgerald that he might be aroused during sexual intercourse, in a note written by the defendant, the court was told.
The defendant had also blackmailed another lover with a sex tape by threatening to show the video to his new girlfriend if he didn’t do what she wanted, namely drive him into town and back for a night out, prosecutors alleged.
Groves claimed to police that Fitzgerald had raped her (pictured). But prosecutors argue that this was never the case and said the sex between the couple had been consensual.
Groves is said to have told her boyfriend that he could wake her up for sex in a note written to Mr. Fitzgerald. She is pictured in her home before allegedly killing the 25-year-old.
A note read in court read: “I, Shaye Groves, give Frankie Fitzgerald permission to arouse me through sexual intercourse from the date of March 22 until further notice.”
The mother-of-one was said to have four ‘decorative’ knives, featuring depictions of movie villains Chuckie, Jigsaw and Pennywise, which she and Fitzgerald used to ‘play with knives’ in the bedroom.
Winchester Crown Court heard that the couple had a camera installed in the bedroom that captured them having sex, recordings of which Groves is said to have used to blackmail the lovers.
In her interview with the police, which was played out in court, Ms Baitup said: “She collects evidence against everyone to see how she can use it as leverage.”
Ms. Baitup also told officers that Groves had a violent history, recalling two occasions when he attacked Lauren White, who lived with her, once with a nail clipper, leaving her head bleeding.
Groves told police she had been assaulted and raped by Mr Fitzgerald, but the prosecution says all sexual relations between them were consensual and “they had a safe word”.
Jurors heard Ms Baitup tell police she thought Groves got “hot” over the alleged molestation of which she had clips.
Vikki Baitup, a friend of Groves, told police she suspected Groves was “turned on” by the “abusive” sexual nature of their relationship. She is pictured Mrs Baitup arriving at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday.
“I think Shaye felt some type of excitement or pleasure in being in the relationship,” she said.
“I got the impression that he was touched by some of the abuse.”
In a later interview with police, Ms Baitup said Groves had been seeing another man alongside Mr Fitzgerald, in a “balancing act”. She told police: “I was so close to the two of them seeing each other.” Shaye was playing [them]. You never knew which one was going to show up.
Jurors heard that Groves was “not ashamed to talk about his sex life”; having reached an agreement with Mr. Fitzgerald, he could be aroused “through sexual intercourse until further notice” in a written note.
It was signed by Groves, Mr. Fitzgerald, and Ms. Baitup as witnesses, who told police that the two had gotten into a cocaine habit a couple of months before the murder.
Explaining Groves’ earlier violence to Ms. White, Ms. Baitup said that she had “hit” Ms. White with a nail clipper, leaving a “wound” on her head, and her anger only subsided after ” saw a little blood,” he calmed down. ‘.
The court previously heard that after the murder, Groves created a “false alibi” for herself, inspired by advice from true crime documentaries to avoid being caught after her “crime of passion.”
A pathologist’s report read in court explained that Mr. Fitzgerald was stabbed 17 times in the front of the chest, twice in other areas of the chest, and three times in the neck, resulting in his death after “multiple perforations of the heart and lungs” and “catastrophic”. loss of blood’.
Footage of officers arriving on the scene was also relayed to the court, who reported an “incredibly strong” bleach odor in the bedroom.
Groves denies the murder, claiming he acted in self-defense.
The trial continues.