Jury weeps at murder trial call

Anxiang Du, 54, has denied stabbing to death Manchester Metropolitan University lecturer Jifeng “Jeff’” Ding, his wife, Ge “Helen” Chui, and their two daughters, Xing “Nancy” 18, and Alice, 12, on April 29, 2011.

Prosecutors allege Du stabbed the family in order to “avenge himself” after a business relationship turned sour and he ended up owning thousands of pounds in costs following a legal battle.

Members of the jury of eight women and four men wept at Northampton Crown Court as the 999 call made to police on April 29, 2011 at 3.32pm from Alice Ding’s mobile phone was played. The sound of female screams could be heard on the 20-second call along with the muffled voice of the operator.

The court heard the four bodies were discovered two days later by police after concerned neighbour Jason Horsley went round to check after not seeing the family over the Bank Holiday.

Mr Horsley then went around the back of the house where he saw a body on the kitchen floor through a window.

“I saw a pair of legs then I noticed it was blood on the floor”, Mr Horsley told police in his statement.

Pc John Campbell told the court he was the first officer to arrive on the scene on May 1, 2011.

“Were you able to make out a pair of legs lying on the floor and a dark blot that you concluded was probably blood?”, William Harbage QC asked the officer. “Yes that’s right,” Pc Campbell replied.

A second officer went upstairs and found the bodies of the two girls in an upstairs bedroom at the property in Wootton, Northamptonshire.