Christopher Wall, aged 58 and of Shelbourne Road in Bournemouth, was convicted today, Thursday 31 August 2017, following a 12-day trial at Winchester Crown Court.
He will be sentenced tomorrow, Friday 1 September 2017.
At around 10.30pm on Tuesday 13 December 2016 Dorset Police received a report from the South Western Ambulance Service that a woman had been found with head injuries outside the Charminster Supermarket in Charminster Road.
She was taken to Poole Hospital before her condition deteriorated and she was transferred to Southampton Hospital with a serious brain injury.
Prior to slipping into unconsciousness, she was able to tell paramedics her name was Hayley Wall and she lived in Shelbourne Road.
One of the paramedics who attended also said Hayley had told her: “My partner smashed a TV over the top of my head.”
Officers attended the address in Shelbourne Road and found signs of a disturbance on the second floor including a door on the landing that had been knocked off its frame with two long dark hairs embedded in a crack halfway up the door and a number of blood spots.
Further along the landing, at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor, was a large flat screen television that appeared to be damaged.
In the bedroom officers found blood-stained clothing, blood smears and blood staining and further blood was found in the en-suite bathroom.
Christopher Wall was asleep in the bed and had what appeared to be stab or puncture wounds in his back as well as a cut to his hand.
An ambulance was called and he was treated for his injuries. He was arrested on suspicion of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and, after being treated in hospital, was taken into custody.
Hayley sadly died as a result of her injuries in hospital in the early hours of Thursday 22 December 2016.
The jury heard that, while Christopher and Hayley Wall were uncle and niece, they were living together as partners.
A lodger who lived with Christopher and Hayley told police that on the evening of Tuesday 13 December 2016 he heard them return home some time after 7.50pm and they both appeared to have been drinking.
He later heard shouting and Hayley crying as if she was in pain. She then appeared at his door with her head covered in blood before leaving the house.
She was later found outside the Charminster Supermarket by a group of three students, who contacted the ambulance service and stayed with Hayley until paramedics arrived.
When interviewed, Christopher Wall provided a prepared statement, claiming he was attacked by Hayley with a pair of scissors and he had used reasonable force to defend himself. He made no comment in two other interviews and refused to answer questions in relation to his relationship with his niece.
Senior Investigating Officer Neil Devoto, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Christopher Wall’s violent actions on that night have resulted in the tragic loss of a young woman’s life.
“I hope the jury’s verdict will bring some sense of comfort to Hayley’s family.”
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