Jealous Husband Ordered His Wife To Swallow Her Wedding Ring Before Beating Her To Death

A jealous and violent man ordered his wife to swallow her wedding ring before he allegedly killed her in a ‘prolonged and severe attack’ in front of children.

28-year-old Shaun Dyson, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court for the murder of Lucy-Anne Rushton, 30, in the early hours of 23 June at her home in Andover, Hampshire, six months after her toxic relationship with him ended.

The jury heard the pair had a “toxic” relationship and Ms Rushton had become the victim of a “history of domestic violence”.

Prosecutors told Winchester Crown Court that Ms Rushton was the victim of a prolonged and sustained attack, ‘culminating in repeated stamping or jumping or both on her chest and while she was laid on her back.’

He added: ‘There was no justification for blow after blow, kick after kick, stamp after stamp on Lucy. This was borne out of a jealous rage in a violent man.’

Family members say that in the months before her death, she had warned them that Dyson would kill her.

Fearing the worst, the court heard that her family tried to convince her to leave Dyson sooner, but she refused to do so, telling them, she ‘loved him’.

The evening before Ms Rushton was killed, Dyson is alleged to have hit her and then became enraged after she received a phone call from a man she was previously in a relationship with.

He is then said to have told her to ‘swallow the ring because we are not together anymore.’

Simon Jones, prosecuting, told the court that a child witness had woken up following the argument and saw Dyson hitting Ms Rushton.

It is alleged that she had been dead for ‘some time’ before Dyson dialled 999.

A post-mortem found Ms Rushton had suffered collapsed lungs and a broken breastbone in the attack, and her rib bones had been broken 37 times.

Dyson denied the murder and claimed that Rushton drowned. The trial continues.