A DISTINCTIVE jacket was found in the washing machine of a woman accused of trying to help her murder suspect son evade justice.

It is alleged Ricardo Morrison, aged 22, had been wearing a jacket that matched its description when he stabbed his girlfriend, teenage model Amy Barnes, to death at their Farnworth home, a court heard.

Morrison, of Birmingham, denies murder.

Yesterday, in the fifth day of his trial, Manchester Crown Court was told how police arrested Morrison at his mother’s Birmingham home hours after Amy had been found dead in Farnworth on the morning of November 8.

Officers arrived at the home of Morrison’s mother, Melda Wilks, at 10.15pm and found Morrison in an upstairs bedroom.

Wilks, aged 50, of Birmingham, denies assisting an offender.

Det Sgt Neil Groutage, from West Midlands Police, said: “He shouted to his mother as we tried to handcuff him and he continued shouting for her, so she came upstairs escorted by my colleague. She tried to calm him down and tried to help but it did not help, so she was asked to go back downstairs.”

The court then heard how Lisa Cox, a Scenes of Crime Officer for West Midlands Police, took a number of items out of the washing machine including a black Adidas jacket with red stripes on the sleeves.

The court has heard previously that a man matching Morrison’s description was seen wearing a similar jacket near waste land in Farnworth shortly after the attack took place.

Jurors also heard from taxi driver Mohammed Mehri, who picked up Wilks from her home at 6.20pm, on Saturday, November 8, and took her to the city centre, where the prosecution alleges she met Morrison.

Mr Mehri said: “Mrs Wilks has been a passenger before and I think she was a police woman. On that night she seemed worried. I tried to have a conversation with her but it did not happen. She was in a sad mood and did not appear to be in control. I tried to talk to her but she did not want to, so I stopped trying.”

Pathologist Dr Philip Lumb also gave evidence in which he said the multiple knife wounds suffered by Amy would have required “severe force”.

Proceeding.