Turkish national Serkan Kaygusuz, 42, befriended 70-year-old millionaire Norma Girolami at a swimming pool in North London and, within three years, she’d handed over much of her fortune to him.
The Old Bailey heard that the pair had developed a ‘parasitic relationship’ with him fleecing her of £284,000.
He buried her body in a graveyard around the 19th of August 2021 where it remained hidden for 15 months.
Pathologist Dr. Ashley Fegan-Earl said Mrs Girolami’s body had been tightly wrapped in a fitted sheet and four sheets of plastic and a carrier bag had been placed over the head when he examined it on November 3rd 2022 at Northwick Park Hospital. He said Norma’s body showed signs ‘consistent with a third party assault and third party obstruction of the normal pattern of breathing’ and that her body was fully clothed in underwear, trousers and jumper when she was examined.
He added that insects had not caused any damage to the body and it was ‘surprisingly well preserved’.
The pathologist went on to say that when he examined the stomach contents ‘somewhat remarkably that was recognisable as chewed potato chips.’
He surmised that ‘the body was kept as a secure location which flies could not enter, or the body was enwrapped rapidly and completely after death.’
Mrs Girolami had also suffered three fractured ribs and bruising to the chest. ‘In my view, the fracture pattern and the associated bruising is not the pattern we expect to see with a simple fall to the ground,’ explained Dr. Fegan-Earl.
‘The fractures in this case are not those associated with CPR fractures.’
The doctor said that when CPR is performed the heart has stopped so no bruising would occur. Although the injuries were ‘supportive of third party assault’, the pathologist was unable to give a cause of death because the level of decomposition meant it was impossible to reach any firm conclusions. ‘The cause of death must remain as unascertained because diagnosis has been hampered by decomposition,’ said Dr Fegan-Earl.
Ms Girolami, of Italian heritage, lived alone in a £900,000 flat in Elm Court, Highgate, and had returned from a day at the seaside when she vanished. Her body was found 15 months later in November 2022 in St James’s Churchyard in Friern Barnet.
Jurors were told that Kaygusuz (of Crouch Court Hall, Sparsholt Road, Islington) admits perverting the course of justice by hiding the body, theft, three counts of fraud and one of transferring criminal property but denies murder.
The trial continues.
Jacqui Deevoy has been a full time freelance journalist for more than three decades. Over the last few years, she’s lost faith in the MSM and now prefers to work for news outlets that deal in truth, not lies.
In 2021, she launched a personal investigation into euthanasia in the NHS and this resulted in her producing the shocking documentary ‘A Good Death?’ She is currently crowdfunding for a second film – ‘Playing God’ – due for release soon.
She produces and presents the UNN Friday night show – a sometimes serious but often irreverent chat-fest with an array of fascinating guests talking on a wide range of subjects. She’s also one of UNN’s lead reporters.
Follow Jacqui on Twitter @JacquiDeevoy1
