Woman, 29, looked like a ‘crazed animal’ as she attacked her ‘sugar daddy’, 65, with a vodka bottle before stabbing him to death, court hears

A woman looked like a “crazy animal” when she attacked her “sugar daddy” with a bottle of vodka and then stabbed him to death, a court has heard.

Lauren Harris, 29, suddenly burst into flames and threw herself at her grandfather Mark Wilcox, 65, at his seaside home in Colwyn Bay, Wales, a murder trial heard.

The jury at Mold Crown Court heard her “pupils were huge” as she began punching and kicking her lover, before hitting him over the head with a bottle of vodka in front of two of her friends.

David Webster, 43, a friend of Harris, told the trial that things had “ceased” until Harris stabbed Mr Wilcox again, who was then left to die in a pool of blood in his armchair.

Webster and Thomas Whiteley, 33, were invited by Harris to their seaside home for an evening of ‘drinking and drugs’ in November last year.

All three are on trial, accused of murdering Mr. Wilcox. They have all denied the charges.

Mark Wilcox, 65, was left to die in a pool of blood in his armchair at his seaside home in Colwyn Bay, Wales, the trial was told

Webster blamed Harris for the murder, telling the jury she looked like a “crazy animal.”

Describing the moment she jumped from her chair, he told the court: ‘The look in her eyes – her pupils were huge, it was the speed at which she did it.’

He said he tried to “intervene and calm her down” before taking the bottle of vodka from her, but she was still “angry, kicking and screaming.”

Webster told the court it “died off again” until Harris returned and grabbed a knife to stab Mr Wilcox.

He told the jury she stabbed him “without any warning”, again describing her as a “crazy animal”.

According to Webster, Harris then stabbed Mr Wilcox again and ‘they couldn’t get her to stop’.

He said: ‘I tried to tell her to calm down, but she wouldn’t calm down. She said: ‘I’ll stab you too’.’

The trio then allegedly stole his red Volvo, after which they crashed the car less than a minute after leaving the scene of the accident.

Prosecutor Andrew Ford KC said Harris had previous convictions for assault, including unlawful wounding in 2022 when a knife was used against a partner.

Her boyfriend David Webster told the court that Harris began punching and kicking the grandfather before hitting him over the head with a vodka bottle

Webster has blamed Harris for the murder of Mr Wilcox, telling the jury she looked like a ‘crazy animal’

He retired in October, just weeks before he died in November. The father of four never got the chance to hold his newborn ninth grandchild

The jury in the murder trial was previously shown footage of Harris’ arrest and interrogations in custody, during which she denied involvement in the murder.

Harris then added: “I’m here because of what those two did. It wasn’t me.”

After being told she was being arrested on suspicion of murder, she said, “Nobody did anything wrong. What do you mean, murder?”

‘Why am I getting caught for this? It doesn’t make sense. I’ve already done f**k everything.’

Mr Wilcox had started a relationship with Harris because he wanted to ‘provide for her’ after his retirement. During that time, he repeatedly lent her money and even invited her to stay with him.

But the court heard how Harris abused the grandfather and father of two.

Mr Ford told the court: ‘Mr Wilcox was a sociable, generous man, whose generosity extended to the people he met, sometimes even strangers.’

He met Harris outside the Black Cloak pub in Colwyn Bay. They got talking and a relationship developed between them.

Mr Ford said: ‘Harris took advantage of Mr Wilcox and for her he presented an opportunity which she could take advantage of.’

When asked about the relationship, Mr Wilcox said he wanted to “help” or “save” Harris.

The court found that it appeared that Mr Wilcox repeatedly lent money to Harris.

His four sons were so concerned about their father’s apparent decline that one of their partners started a WhatsApp group with them, called ‘dad brigade’, to ‘mutually keep an eye on him’.

At the time of his death, his bank account was overdrawn. Between June and November 2023, more than £12,000 had been withdrawn from his account.

Colwyn Bay in North Wales, where Mark Wilcox lived in his seaside home

Mr Ford told the jury that Mr Wilcox had been stabbed twice in the chest and suffered “severe blows to the head”.

A pathologist found that Mr Wilcox had two stab wounds, as well as injuries consistent with having been struck with a solid object, ‘such as a bloodstained bottle of vodka.’

When questioned by police, Harris denied any involvement in Mr Wilcox’s death.

Whiteley said he “bumped into” Harris and Webster that night and they all went to the house of someone Harris called her “sugar daddy.”

Mr Ford said: ‘We submit that all three of them are responsible for the death of Mr Wilcox.

‘After several hours of drinking and drug use, a crisis arose, after which events suddenly took a nasty and violent turn.

“We are talking about an attack in which he was stabbed twice and attacked with a weapon, which left him seriously and variously injured.”

Mr Wilcox worked for the Ministry of Defence and the BBC, then as a freelance IT specialist after moving to Colwyn Bay, before retiring at the age of 65.

He retired in October, just weeks before he passed away in November. The father of four never got the chance to hold his newborn ninth grandchild.

Richard Pratt KC, defending, said Harris would not testify at the trial.

Judge Pepperall said: ‘The jury may draw whatever conclusions it thinks appropriate from the fact that she did not do so.’

Harris, of no fixed abode, Webster, of Widnes, and Whiteley, of Old Colwyn, all deny murder.

The process continues.