A MAN has been found guilty of murdering a missing woman and cutting her clothes off – leaving her naked in his shed for 10 days.
Christopher Barlow dragged Mariann Borocz’s naked body into his garden shed after he murdered her.
MEN MediaPolice raided Christopher Barlow’s house and made the horror discovery[/caption]
Mariann Borocz was reported missing last yearMEN Media
The 55-year-old went missing after walking to the shops on December 14 last year, where Barlow, 62, was buying beer and coffee.
But during the eight-minute walk she vanished – and her body was found in his shed a week later.
There were “no obvious signs of injury” other than a red mark on her neck.
A pathologist ruled that she likely died after being suffocated.
She may have alternatively died due to hypothermia, starvation, or dehydration while in the shed.
But prosecutors argued it was unlikely that she had been left in the shed alive, MEN reported.
Today, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, Barlow was found guilty of her murder.
It was heard that after he killed Mariann, Barlow cut her clothes off and dumped them in a bin.
She left her home after 9am on Saturday, December 14 last year and took the short, eight minute walk to her local shop.
Barlow was already in the store, buying cans of beer and coffee.
He later claimed he’d never met Mariann, but a woman who ran a nearby shop said she’d seen the pair walking together a few times.
Mariann bought a can of cider and the pair left the shop talking.
They were seen on CCTV walking towards Barlow’s home nearby.
But what exactly happened from there is a mystery.
Barlow claimed that he invited her in for “company” and left her in the kitchen.
About 40 minutes later, he said that he found her slumped over and dead. Barlow said he panicked and didn’t call 999.
But he admitted that later that day he dragged her body into the garden shed – insisting he wasn’t responsible for her death.
He told a jury: “My intention was to report it as soon as I got round to it, as soon as possible. I didn’t intend to leave her there. My intention was to report it but I was just panicking.”
Barlow returned to his work as a mechanic the following Monday. He told his cleaner not to come round as he feared he may have Covid.
Marianne was reported missing on December 15. CCTV footage was retrieved which showed her entering the shop and leaving with Barlow.
Officers attended his home on December 21 and Barlow told them that Mariann had asked him for £1, and that he’d given her £10 before she walked off.
Police returned two days later and arrested him on suspicion of assault.
A full search of the house then led to the horrible discovery.
Barlow told police that he was an alcoholic and “did not know what he was doing half the time”
Barlow said he lived alone and she had “absolutely not been in his house”.
But at his trial, Barlow admitted that Mariann had been inside his house.
He claimed to have discovered her on the floor, before deciding to hide her body in the shed.
In court, Barlow said: “I realised I should have reported but I didn’t. I made a bad mistake, a silly mistake, and I regret it.”
He is due to be sentenced tomorrow.
MEN MediaBarlow said he lived alone and she had “absolutely not been in his house”[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
