Murder victim seen screaming for help from 14th floor window before being strangled

A young woman, who was heard desperately screaming for help from a window ledge, was found unconscious shortly afterwards, having allegedly been fatally strangled by her partner.

Just one hour earlier, the victim, care worker Courtney Boorne, had rung her mum telling her if she did not hear from her in an hour to call the police.

Merseyside Police received reports of a disturbance at Quarry Green Heights in Kirkby last December, and found the 20-year-old unresponsive on the bed. She later died in hospital.

Liam Cain, of Skipton Road, Anfield, was charged with her murder and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

A murder trial jury was told that Courtney Boorne lived in a fourteenth floor flat with her partner Liam Cain and on Friday, December 23 last year, CCTV footage showed them coming and going from their home. Boorne spoke to her mum for the last time at 3.39 pm and around 4.40 pm, a woman rang the police from her home in Quarry Green, saying she could see a female in the flats opposite ‘screaming and climbing onto the window ledge.’

Gordon Cole, KC, prosecuting told Liverpool Crown Court that the witness said Ms Boorne appeared to be shouting at someone in the flat. She was shouting ‘please’ and saying, ‘he has all the doors locked and he won’t let me out’, claimed Mr Cole. Another woman witness also rang the police, saying a female was hanging out of the window screaming ‘call the police’ and ‘he’s choking me’ before the window was then closed.

Police forced their way into the flat just before 5.00pm on the same day, where 19-year-old Cain and Ms Boorne were the only people present, and she was found unresponsive on the bed with marks to her neck. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead two hours later due to a cardiac arrest. Mr Cole said a Home Office pathologist concluded she had died from manual asphyxiation which most commonly involves forceful neck compression.

Cain, who was found crouching down leaning on an armchair in the living room, was arrested. He had sent a text to his dad saying: “I love you the world, everyone, I am so sorry, tell everyone.”

Self-defence claim: Mr Cole said that the defendant, who had scratches to his head, face and chest area, claimed he was acting in lawful and reasonable self-defence. 

“His defence is he was defending himself from an attack by Courtney Boorne... one of the issues is whether what happened was unlawful. The Crown say it was,” said Mr Cole.

He added: “Whatever argument may have been going on, it was this defendant exhibiting aggression and violence, so much so that Courtney Boorne was shouting for help from the 14th floor of that building. She wanted to get out.”

Cain denies murder and the trial is ongoing.