Braintree woman ‘stabbed and smothered’ by friends, trial hears

A woman was stabbed and fatally smothered with a pillow by her two friends who “ransacked” her house, a jury has been told.

Prosecutors allege that Helen Bloomfield, 52, was murdered by Amy Keely, 40, and Charlotte James, 29, at her flat in Braintree, Essex, in March 2024.

Blood-stained scissors and shards of broken mirror were found inside the property when Bloomfield’s body was discovered a month later, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

James, of St Michael’s Lane, Braintree, and Keely, of no fixed address, have denied her murder.

Julian Evans KC, prosecuting, said Bloomfield was a vulnerable woman who suffered 44 injuries, including stab and cut wounds.

“Her death inside her flat was the result of what must have been sustained and repeated violence that others directed at her,” he said, opening the trial.

No motive had been established for the alleged attack, which happened “at some point” after 01:00 GMT on 20 March 2024, Evans told the court.