Kayleigh Dunning Portsmouth trial: Parents break down in tears giving evidence to murder jury

Kayleigh Dunning, 32, suffered ‘at least 10’ heavy blows to her head in a brutal attack carried out by, prosecutors say, 49-year-old Mark Brandford.

Today both of Ms Dunning’s parents broke down in tears in court as they separately gave evidence at Brandford’s murder trial.

Jurors have previously heard Ms Dunning was in a sexual relationship with another man, Dean Drooney, and was in a relationship with Brandford who had proposed.

Ms Dunning’s mother Gaynor Hirst today told Portsmouth Crown Court her daughter had said: ‘I love him (Brandford), but I’m not in love with him.’

Mrs Hirst added: ‘She said she didn’t love Mark, she cared for him.’

Brandford told police after he was arrested that Ms Dunning had called him by a pet name for Mr Drooney, jurors previously heard.

Jurors have been told Brandford proposed to Ms Dunning overnight on December 16-17, 2019, before leaving his home in Kingston Crescent, North End, at 5.17am to buy a McDonald’s hot chocolate.

She was reported missing that day at 6.20pm, and later found dead by paramedics when Brandford returned home and called 999. He denies murder.

Steven Dunning, Ms Dunning’s father, said he was ‘worried sick’ when he did not hear from his daughter. ‘She was still my baby,’ he said.

He added: ‘I was very, very worried. I phoned the police and reported her missing.’

The court heard there were concerns about whether Brandford or Ms Dunning had contracted HIV.

Her father told jurors: ‘I said to Kayleigh, “whatever you say to me about Mark Brandford I don’t believe any of it”.’

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He said Brandford previously claimed ‘he had prostate cancer’. Mr Dunning added: ‘He had everything wrong with him that man.’

‘I actually liked Mark when I first met him,’ he said and added: ‘When I got to know him he was a different person altogether.’

Brandford denies murdering Ms Dunning with a crowbar.

He also denies a charge of revenge porn relating to setting up a Facebook account under her name with naked images.

(Proceeding)

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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