Woman reduced from ‘voluptuous size 16’ to ‘skin and bone’ by torture gang scalded her with boiling water and burned her with a lit aerosol, trial hears

A woman who was reduced from a ‘voluptuous size 16’ to ‘skin and bone’ by a torture gang was scalded with boiling hot water and burned with a lit aerosol can, a court has heard.

Shakira Spencer, 35, was found dead by police at her home in Hanwell, west London, on September 25, 2022, after a neighbor spotted maggots crawling under her front door.

Ashana Studholme, 38, her lover Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and Lisa Richardson, 44, all deny murder and prevented a legal burial.

Mrs Spencer was only given sachets of ketchup when she was enslaved and tortured, the Old Bailey has heard.

But Richardson, who told police she had known co-suspect Studholme for 20 years, now says she was ‘scared’ of her and felt ‘controlled’.

She claims she was ‘walking out of the kitchen’ when Mrs Spencer was tortured and burned.

Mrs Spencer (pictured) was fed only pouches of ketchup as she was enslaved, tortured and reduced to ‘skin and bones’, the Old Bailey has heard

Ashana Studholme, 38, her lover Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and Lisa Richardson, 44, all deny murder and avoid legal burial (Picture: Hanwell)

The three killers controlled and tortured Ms Spencer, who was described as a “beautiful, happy, healthy” woman, before fatally beating her and locking her in a cupboard, it is said.

They took over her flat and finances and treated her like a slave as they filmed their abuse of her, the court heard.

Richardson, who once said her friend Studholme was “like family” and “doesn’t give off any bad vibes,” now claims Studholme was in control and afraid of her.

Richardson told the court: ‘She knew I was scared of her, just her charisma and that I’m quite an anxious person.’

She said she was keen to move from her small flat in Northolt to Studholme’s home in Harrow as it had a garden and nearby fields.

Studholme’s barrister Joseph Stone, KC, said: ‘To burn someone with hot water and aerosol would amount to some pretty bad acts, wouldn’t it?’

“Yes,” Richardson agreed.

“Would you accept that they border on torture?”

“Yes,” Richardson replied.

When asked if there was any good reason for the assaults, she said: “I don’t know why it happened.”

“Do you accept that these would have been unforgivable acts and that you would clearly have been shocked?” Mr. Stone asked.

“Yes, it was disturbing and that’s why I walked out of the kitchen,” Richardson replied.

“And if Shante did that, you must have been surprised that your friend you knew for fifteen years was capable of such wickedness. And that must have shocked you deeply?’

“Yes,” Richardson replied.

Richardson said during questioning that she did not see Studholme do anything to hurt Ms Spencer the weekend before her death, despite claiming she did in her defense statement.

The three killers controlled and tortured Mrs Spencer (pictured), who was described as a ‘beautiful, happy, healthy’ woman before fatally beating her and locking her in a cupboard, it is said.

Police officers were called to Ms Spencer’s home in Hanwell, west London, after a neighbor spotted maggots crawling under her front door on September 25, 2022.

She said she only saw her throw some water on her, but she didn’t know if the water was boiled.

She said Pendlebury threw boiling water on Mrs Spencer and attacked her using a spray can and a lighter as a blowtorch.

She denied being high at the time and said she was not using drugs.

Mr Stone said Richardson had sent a text message saying she wanted to get closer to Studholme after the attacks on Ms Spencer took place.

“I suggest that you try to blame her in your defense statement so that you are not convicted of murder,” Mr Stone said.

“That’s not true,” Richardson replied.

Pendlebury, from Tewkesbury Road; Richardson, of Broomcroft Avenue, both Ealing, west London; and Studholme, of Greenhill Road, Harrow, all deny murder and appearance and unlawful burial.

The process continues.