A grandmother used a Tottenham Hotspur carrier bag to strangle a terminally-ill former soldier because she believed he was "better off" dead, a court was told today.
Joyce Evans was the sole carer for Colin Ballinger, who was house-bound after being diagnosed with alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.
Evans, 69, is alleged to have strangled 66-year-old Mr Ballinger and put plastic bags over his head before knocking on a neighbour's door and saying: "I think I've killed Colin. He was getting on my nerves."
Concerned neighbours in New Orleans Walk, Islington, went to help, and found Mr Ballinger was found lying on his back on the living room of the flat with blood coming from the side of his head.
Evans went back into the flat and was seen kneeling down next to Mr Ballinger, telling him: "Don't worry babe, baby, go to sleep," the jury was told. She is also alleged to have closed his eyes, saying: "You're better off like this."
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson told the jury at the Old Bailey that paramedics found a pulse and tried to revive Mr Ballinger but Evans, who had been drinking vodka that evening and appeared intoxicated, tried to stop them, saying: "Leave him alone, he's dead, he's gone."
Mr Ballinger was taken to hospital but died the next morning, on July 31, 2012, from the combined effects of strangulation and being suffocated with a plastic bag.
When Evans was arrested, she is said to have told police: "I'm guilty. I put the bag over his head. I should have just topped myself after I did it."
A Tottenham Hotspur carrier bag and Hamleys toy shop bag were found in Evans's home in New Orleans Walk, Ms Johnson said. Both were torn, blood-stained and had saliva inside them, she added.
In police interviews, Evans told officers that Mr Ballinger had asked her to help end his life and that she had placed a bag over his face for about six seconds, before changing her mind, the jury heard.
According to Evans's version of events, the court heard, she found Mr Ballinger lying on the floor, telling her: "I've had enough. I wish it was all over."
However, the jury had also heard that a friend who spent time with Mr Ballinger on the afternoon before his death asked how he was, and was told: "Very good, I'm feeling lucky. My legs are working."
Mr Ballinger is said to have been in pain, and was told in April 2012 that his illness was terminal and that he had a year to live, but had never expressed any wish to end his life, Ms Johnson said.
Evans claimed that the pair had a conversation three months before his death, in which Mr Ballinger had "asked her to help him get out of this situation", the court heard.
Ms Johnson said: "It goes without saying that this is a tragic case for all of those involved. Colin Ballinger has lost his life through violence, rather than the natural process of death.
"The fact that he was dying is of no relevance. Life is always sacred, irrespective of how long there is left to enjoy."
Evans, who told police she had an "on-off" relationship with Mr Ballinger for 25 years, will allege that her responsibility was impaired because she was suffering from depression at the time.
The prosecution case was reopened today after a new juror had to be selected for the panel of 12. The trial continues.
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