Neighbour Accused of Murder and Theft in Erdington
A man stands accused of murdering his neighbour in Birmingham before proceeding to spend the victim's benefits money, a court has been told. The trial of Diogo Bettencourt, aged 37, is underway at Birmingham Crown Court, where he has denied the murder of Anthony Sharma, 43.
The Final Hours and Discovery
The court heard that Anthony Sharma was last seen alive near his home on Doidge Road, Erdington, at approximately 10.30pm on November 8, 2023. Moments earlier, he had been captured on CCTV visiting Booze & Beverages off-licence on Slade Road with Bettencourt, a fellow tenant at their house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC told jurors that the evidence demonstrates Mr Sharma was assaulted by Bettencourt in his flat sometime between 10.30pm on November 8 and 2.30am on November 9. "His injuries were fatal," Mr Heywood stated.
The victim was discovered two days later, on November 10, 2023, after the landlady of the property, Musarat Bi, grew concerned. Upon entering Mr Sharma's room around 1pm, she found his body concealed under a sleeping bag. Paramedics confirmed his death at the scene approximately 15 minutes later.
Spree on Victim's Account
The prosecution outlined a series of transactions made using the deceased's bank card in the aftermath of his death. The court was told that Bettencourt attempted to use the card at Hayes Supermarket just hours after the alleged murder, but the transaction was declined.
His efforts continued throughout the following day, with further unsuccessful attempts at a cashpoint on Erdington High Street. The situation changed when a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits payment of £355 cleared into Mr Sharma's account in the early hours of November 10.
Shortly after, at 12.26am, Bettencourt was able to successfully withdraw £30. The prosecution listed multiple subsequent uses of the card, including:
- Spending £8.49 at Booze & Beverages.
- Withdrawing £80 at Hayes Supermarket.
- Further transactions at Khyber Mini Market.
In a particularly revealing incident, Bettencourt allegedly asked landlady Musarat Bi for a lift to a cashpoint around midday on November 10. He withdrew £100, giving £70 to Ms Bi to cover arrears, money which the prosecution says "came from Mr Sharma's account". He also falsely claimed that Mr Sharma had left to visit family in Scotland.
Bettencourt, a Canadian national, was arrested shortly after the discovery of the body. When asked by police if he had killed Mr Sharma, he replied "no comment".
A post-mortem examination concluded that the medical cause of Mr Sharma's death was "applied neck pressure, multiple sharp force injuries and head injury".
While the defence is expected to argue that Bettencourt was suffering from an "abnormality of mental functioning" linked to a diagnosed schizophrenia condition, the prosecution contends that his actions before and after the killing contradict this claim. The trial continues.
