Father and daughter 'dumped body in canal'

A disabled man violently attacked a sex worker before dumping her body in a canal with the help of his daughter, a murder trial has heard.

Chereiss Bailey was found dead near a waterway off Ryders Green Road in West Bromwich on 29 September last year.

John Anslow, 65, and his daughter Hayley-Marie Ferguson, 42, both from West Bromwich, are accused of placing Bailey's corpse in a wheelchair and adding paving slabs before pushing it into the water.

Anslow has admitted preventing a lawful and decent burial but denies murdering Bailey. Ferguson, who is not accused of murder, has pleaded not guilty to preventing a lawful and decent burial and another charge of assisting an offender.

On the opening day of the trial, Birmingham Crown Court heard Bailey, who was 36, was last seen on the afternoon of 27 September, two days before her body was found.

Opening the case, prosecutor Michael Duck KC told the court the victim was a vulnerable individual who had been leading "something of a chaotic lifestyle".

Bailey lived alone in Tipton and had occasionally been a sex worker in the area, Duck said.

On the night of the attack, the prosecutor alleged Bailey's services had been "engaged" by Anslow.

He added that while it was not clear exactly what happened inside his property on Stour Street, the evidence suggested he had attacked her inside his bedroom.

"During that attack she sustained a number of facial fractures, bruising to many parts of her body [and] was ultimately strangled and very likely bitten to intimate parts of her body," Duck said.

Later that night, the prosecutor continued, Anslow enlisted the help of his daughter to dispose of the body.

Duck alleged the two defendants were captured on CCTV pushing Bailey's body between 600 and 800 metres in a wheelchair before pushing her into the water.

"Following her killing her body was treated with utter disdain," the prosecutor said.

"These measures were taken to try and ensure that what had taken place was not discovered.

"When her body had been discarded at that location, those who had been responsible for placing her into the canal simply walked away."

Duck said the wheelchair used to transport Bailey's body belonged to Anslow and that, despite him and his daughter both having mobility issues, they were able to complete the walk to the canal.

He added Ferguson, who was in tears throughout the opening, had disposed of evidence despite knowing "full well" her father had murdered Bailey.

The prosecutor said Ferguson appeared to have an "affectionate" relationship with her father and the pair had demonstrated an "extraordinary" loyalty to each other.

"It may very well be that loyalty starts to disintegrate as we embark upon the evidence of this case," he added.

The trial continues at Birmingham Crown Court and is expected to last between two and three weeks.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.