Coventry man found guilty of killing woman discovered in Binley Woods
Mohammed Durnion has been convicted of the manslaughter of 33-year-old Reanne Coulson in May last year
Last updated 17 hours ago
A man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a woman whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in woodland, near Coventry.
Mother-of-two, 33-year-old Reanne Coulson, was heard screaming and crying for help five weeks before her body was discovered near a bridleway, Warwick Crown Court heard.
Jurors at Warwick Crown Court have today concluded Mohammed Durnion, 42, did not murder her, but they have found him guilty of manslaughter by a majority 11-1 verdict.
He had denied the murder charge, saying Ms Coulson died from an apparent overdose after a brief argument on the night of 21 May last year.
Prosecutors had told the court that Durnion had killed Ms Coulson in a sudden and deliberate attack and then feigned a mental health crisis when police arrived at his flat in Paynes Lane, Coventry, after a 999 call.
Jurors heard officers entered and searched the property but did not find Ms Coulson's body, which is believed to have been hidden under a mattress.
The body was removed from the flat by Durnion after police left and was found in Binley Woods more than five weeks later.
Opening the case at the start of the trial, prosecutor Timothy Cray KC said: “We say that the timing and circumstances suggest that this was a deliberate attack by a powerfully built man, on a vulnerable and defenceless woman who he had taken back to his address.
“One of the circumstances to look at is how long they had been together in the flat. The evidence is that the attack began within a minute of the defendant arriving at the flat around 11.22pm.
Mr Cray added: “The police did not find her body because he hid her and then he threw the uniformed officers off the scent.
“We suggest that he was acting and knew exactly what he was doing, which was to cover up the fact that he had killed Reanne and hidden her body inside his flat.”
Jurors also convicted Durnion’s co-defendant and friend Adam Moore, 39, by an 11-1 verdict of assisting an offender by helping in the disposal of Reanne Coulson’s body.
Durnion stared at the floor and remained calm in the dock as the verdicts were returned, eight minutes after Judge Kristina Montgomery KC gave the jury of seven women and five men a majority direction.
Detective Inspector Nigel Box, of West Midlands Police, said of the victim’s relatives: “The family are understandably mortified and heartbroken, and they have been ever since finding out what happened to Reanne.
“We have supported them as best as we possibly can throughout the investigation, throughout the court process.
“We’re heartbroken for them. Reanne was a mother, she was an auntie, she was a sister, she was a daughter, and our heart goes out to the family.”
West Midlands Police said a review of the circumstances around the search of the premises was carried out by its Professional Standards Department.
In a statement the force said: “No misconduct was identified although some opportunities for learning were identified and implemented.
“We informed Reanne’s family of the review and expressed our regret we were not able to find her on the May 21. We have liaised with Reanne’s family throughout the investigation into her death.”
Both defendants will be sentenced on Thursday.