Brother found dead after neighbours raised alarm over distressed dog, Swansea Crown Court told

A MAN accused of murdering his brother is standing trial at Swansea Crown Court, where jurors heard harrowing evidence about the final hours of a 48-year-old man found dead at his home in Morriston.

Darren Steel, aged 41, from Morriston, Swansea, denies murdering his brother Martin Steel on May 20, 2023. He also faces an alternative charge of manslaughter.

Opening the prosecution case on Tuesday morning (Jan 27), prosecutor Andrew Jones told the jury that Martin Steel was discovered dead inside his flat at Hill View Crescent after neighbours became concerned when his dog was found whining alone in the garden at around 8.30am.

The court heard that neighbours attempted to alert Mr Steel but received no response. They took the dog into their home and noticed its fur was matted with a red-brown substance and that the animal appeared distressed.

Further attempts were made to get an answer at the flat before another neighbour suggested contacting Mr Steel’s mother, who had been due to go shopping with him that morning.

She arrived shortly afterwards but was unable to enter through the front door, which was deadlocked, or the back door, which had been chained shut. From inside the property, she heard a voice she recognised as belonging to her son Darren ask: “Who’s that?”

After identifying herself, she was asked: “Have you brought the police with you?”

She replied that she had not, and the door was then opened.

Upon entering the flat, she found Martin Steel slumped in a chair, his face covered in blood and his eyes and face severely swollen. Mr Jones told the court the injuries were consistent with what he described as an “aggressive, ferocious attack”.

The court heard that Martin Steel’s mother placed her hand on his forehead and checked for a pulse and heartbeat, but found none. His body was cold. She called 999 and, following instructions from the emergency call handler, moved him onto the floor.

Mr Jones told the jury that the defendant then fled the scene.

While tending to her son, she heard Darren Steel say: “He’s not dead,” after she said she could not find a pulse. She also described his eyes as looking “like a shark’s eyes”.

Emergency services arrived and attempted CPR, but Martin Steel was pronounced dead at 11.06am.

The court heard that Martin Steel suffered extensive injuries, including cuts, abrasions and bruising to his face and head, internal bruising, a fractured voice box and larynx horn, collapse of his airway, and a lower lip detached from his jaw. The injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma.

The prosecution say Darren Steel killed his brother during what was described as a “fit of extreme rage”. The defendant claims he acted in self-defence after being punched twice during an argument, saying he struck his brother four to five times lawfully.

Mr Jones told the jury that body-worn camera footage captured at the scene showed what he described as an “extreme violent attack” and “starkly exposes the lie” that Martin Steel was the aggressor.

After fleeing the flat, the defendant went to a friend’s address, where he arrived intoxicated and sobbing. He told the friend that an argument with his brother had “gone too far”. He was advised to hand himself in.

When a police van arrived nearby, officers asked the defendant to identify himself. He gave the name “Andrew Jones”. The friend mouthed his real name to officers, and Darren Steel was arrested and taken to Swansea Police Station.

At the police station, the court heard that the defendant said he had smoked heroin with his brother and his girlfriend. He claimed his brother had been “coming on to” his girlfriend and had punched him several times. He said he had stayed in the flat all night, placing pillows behind his brother’s head and neck, adding: “If he’s gone, it’s manslaughter.”

A post-mortem examination concluded that Martin Steel died from blunt impact trauma to the left side of his head and face and the front of his neck, together with airway impairment caused by the deliberate application of force to a vulnerable area of the body, consistent with an intention to kill.

A microscopic examination showed that Martin Steel survived for between three and six hours after the assault, during which time the defendant was present but did nothing to help him.

Mr Jones told the court: “This demonstrates he must have been in terrible pain and suffering for several hours. The defendant did not raise a finger to help him and did nothing to give his brother any chance of survival.

“The defendant’s only concern was purely for himself.”

Jurors were shown photographs and blood-spatter analysis which, the prosecution say, contradict the defendant’s claim that his brother was standing during the assault. Instead, the evidence was said to be consistent with a man being punched while seated in a chair.

Analysis of the defendant’s clothing suggested blood transfer occurred as the victim’s blood was beginning to clot, indicating what the prosecution described as prolonged violence.

The court also heard evidence about events in the days leading up to the death. Mr Jones told jurors that on May 18 and 19, 2023, the defendant was involved in what he described as escalating violence towards others.

The prosecution said Darren Steel had since been convicted of unlawful wounding after assaulting Julian Samuels by punching him, strapping him to a chair with parcel tape, continuing to strike him to the face and throat, pressing fingers into his eyes, and threatening to cut his throat.

The jury also heard that the defendant had been convicted of assaulting his girlfriend, Dawn Begley, at Martin Steel’s flat the night before the killing. CCTV footage was shown of him chasing her with a hammer and later grabbing her by the hair in the road.

Ms Begley told the court she believed she would have been killed had she been forced back into the flat.

Mr Jones said the earlier incidents demonstrated an escalating pattern of violence that culminated in Martin Steel’s death.

He told the jury: “Darren Steel was in a fit of rage and he took it out on his brother. Martin Steel was incapable of defending himself. He stood idly by as his brother’s life ebbed away.”

The trial continues at 10.30am on Wednesday (Jan 28).

A Haverfordwest man has been sentenced to a year in prison after sending a threatening message online.

Michael Carruthers, 34, of Magdalene Street, Merlin’s Bridge, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court facing charges of common assault and sending a communication threatening death under the Online Safety Act.

The court heard that Carruthers assaulted a man in Haverfordwest on 13 January. Just three days later, on 16 January, he sent an online message stating: “I’m going to f***ing kill him,” either intending the threat or being reckless as to whether it would be believed.

Carruthers pleaded guilty to both offences.

Magistrates were told that he was “unmanageable in the community” and showed a “flagrant disregard for people and their property.”

He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for the death threat, with a concurrent 12-week sentence for the assault. In addition, Carruthers must pay £200 in compensation to his victim and £85 in court costs.

Neighbourhood policing priority

DYFED-POWYS POLICE Chief Constable Ifan Charles has responded to sweeping reform proposals outlined by the UK Government, as ministers signal significant changes to how policing operates across England and Wales.

The statement follows an announcement in the House of Commons by Shabana Mahmood, who set out plans aimed at reshaping policing to meet changing patterns of crime and rapid advances in technology.

Chief Constable Charles said police leaders were united in calling for “bold and ambitious reform” that delivers a world-class service for communities, officers, staff and volunteers.

He stressed that the focus of Dyfed-Powys Police would remain firmly on victims of crime and the communities the force serves, adding that it would be “business as usual” for now across the force area.

“Crime is changing, technology is evolving, and we need to be set up in the best possible way to tackle crime in the modern world,” he said.

The Chief Constable also underlined the importance of maintaining strong neighbourhood policing while ensuring forces are equipped to respond to national threats, particularly within the large and diverse Dyfed-Powys policing area.

“I am committed to doing my utmost to ensure any changes to policing are right for the people of Dyfed and Powys,” he said. “Together with my fellow Chief Constables in Wales, we will continue to deliver the best possible service to Welsh communities.”

Further details of the proposed reforms are expected to emerge in the coming weeks, with Welsh forces closely monitoring how any changes may be implemented at a local level.