Katie Kenyon trial: Andrew Burfield 'hit her 12 times with axe'

The trial of Andrew Burfield, 51, began at Preston Crown Court on Monday. He is charged with the murder of 33-year-old Katie Kenyon, from Padiham, which he denies.

Mum-of-two, Katie, went missing on April 22, and was seen getting into a van which then travelled in the direction of Gisburn Forest.

Her body was found in a makeshift grave in Gisburn Forest a week later, on April 29.

Burfield was arrested initially on suspicion of her kidnap, but was then re-arrested and charged with her murder after he confessed to hitting her in the head with an axe, which he claimed was an accident.

Katie Kenyon (Image: Lancs Police)

Opening the case for the prosecution, David McLachlan KC said Burfield told police the pair had gone for a picnic in the Forest of Bowland on April 22.

While there, Burfield said she’d dared him to try and hit a can of Coke she was holding by throwing an axe at it.

Fearing he would ‘chop her arm off’, Burfield claimed he aimed for the tree behind her but ‘accidentally’ hit Katie in the head.

Burfield told police he had then buried Katie in a makeshift grave and had intended to go back and kill himself.

The prosecution has dismissed Burfield's version of event, saying it was pre-meditated, with him heading to the forest a day earlier to prepare her grave.

After he allegedly murdered her, the prosecution say Burfield then used Katie’s phone to send pre-written text messages to her family in an attempt to conceal his crimes and make it look like Katie had disappeared, leaving her two children behind.

Mr McLachlan said the prosecution’s case is Burfield always intended to hit Katie with the axe, and instead of the one blow he claimed had been inflicted, he in fact inflicted at least 12 separate blows to her head, causing her severe injuries with ‘chop-type’ wounds.

He told the court: “On April 29, Katie Kenyon’s body was recovered from a makeshift grave in Gisburn Forest in the Ribble Valley. 

“Pathologist, Dr Jamie Robinson, who carried out a post-mortem on Katie Kenyon’s body, confirmed the presence of severe injuries to the head with multiple scalp defects and the shattering of the bones of the skull. 

“In summary, multiple head injuries caused Katie Kenyon’s death. 

“The nature of the injuries indicated the use of a heavy edged weapon, such as an axe or possibly a spade. 

“Dr Robinson estimated that there were at least 12 separate strikes.  It is the prosecution case that Andrew Burfield inflicted these blows. 

“Burfield admitted to inflicting one of these blows accidentally with an axe. The prosecution do not accept this version of events.”

Burfield gets into the back of a van following his first hearing at the Magistrates' Court (Image: PA)

Mr McLachlan said there had been difficulties in Katie and Burfield’s relationship and in May 2021 she received a court letter relating to a claim for £4,419 made against her by Andrew Burfield.

Katie then applied for a non-molestation order but it was never made and then in February 2022, Katie, who had been seeing a therapist, was sent an enforcement letter demanding she pay back around £6,000 to Burfield.

Despite this, and despite their difficulties, there were still conversations, albeit heated, between Katie and Burfield and in March, they discussed her wellbeing, with Burfield suggesting she would benefit from spending time in rehab.

Mr McLachlan said the conversations continued via text, and they even met at a pub, but their relationship was far from cordial, and on Thursday April 21, Burfield went to his dad’s house to pick up a spade and set of ladders.

Mr McLachlan said: “He would need the spade later that day to dig a grave.”

The court heard how on the morning of Friday April 22, Katie parked her car outside Burfield’s house and entered the property wearing flip-flops.

Not long after, Burfield’s van was then caught on CCTV heading in the direction of Gisburn Forest, with images showing both him and Katie in the front seats.

Mobile phone analysis also revealed Katie’s phone made that same journey, but Burfield’s did not, with the prosecution stating he had left his phone at home on purpose.

Burfield’s van was up at the forest less than an hour, between 10.30 and 11.15am on April 22, before Katie’s phone makes the reverse journey back to Burnley.

However, CCTV images which captured Burfield’s van leaving the forest show there was only him in the front seat.

Mr McLachlan said: “Katie’s phone was travelling back with Andrew Burfield. 

“Katie Kenyon was by this stage in a grave that Andrew Burfield had dug the night before.”

Following this, Burfield sent messages from Katie’s phone to her family members, as well as messages to himself from her phone. He also called Katie’s phone and left voice messages for her.

Missing posters put up in the search for Katie (Image: Lancs Police)

The following day, April 23, Burfield was seen putting items into bins at a property on Hillingdon Road, where he was working on an extension, before he was captured putting items in the bins at the Spar in Todmorden Road – later discovered to be blood stained clothes and a pair of flip flops.

Mr McLachlan said by this point, Katie’s family had become concerned due to the messages they had received, and suspected Burfield had something to do with her disappearance.

He was arrested on the evening of April 23 and notes were found in his iCloud account, which were written between March 17 and April 4.

The notes were in the form of messages addressed to Katie’s children, her mother, the father of her daughter, and also to himself – with Mr McLachlan saying these were written by Burfield before Katie was killed in order to be sent to her family after her murder in an attempt to conceal Burfield’s guilt.

In his fourth police interview, Burfield eventually admitted to hitting Katie once with the axe but maintained it was accidental.

He was charged with her murder on April 27 and two days later Katie’s body was found.

This afternoon, Detective Sergeant Steven Acres took to the stand to begin evidence, going through a timeline of events which included communication between Burfield and Katie.

The trial continues.