A CHIP shop owner murdered his "nagging" wife by throwing scalding oil from the deep fat fryer over her at their village takeaway, a court heard today.
Mavis Bran, 69, died six days later after suffering horrific burns from the oil allegedly hurled by husband Geoffrey Bran.
Bran, 71, is accused of attacking Mavis who suffered burns to 46 per cent of her body at the chip shop that the couple ran together.
A murder trial jury heard Mavis was heard screaming for help after she was covered in the 160C oil at The Chipoteria at Hermon, Carmarthenshire in October last year.
Swansea Crown Court heard pal Caroline Morgan said Mavis told her: "I was nagging him and he flipped”.
Mrs Bran rang a friend to scream: "Please help me, please. Emergency, emergency, please get here.
"Geoff has thrown boiling oil over me. Please get here, I need you now. Help."
'TERRIBLE BURNS'
Speaking at Swansea Crown Court, Prosecutor Paul Lewis said: "The terrible burns she suffered were not the result of an accident, but were caused by her husband deliberately pushing or throwing over her a deep fat fryer which contained scalding oil."
Mr Lewis said Mavis died at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, from complications arising from "widespread and severe hot oil burns".
Mr Bran and Mavis came out of retirement to start their roadside cafe after being married for more than 30 years.
Witnesses said both had short tempers and "always argued, swearing and shouting at each other".
Mr Lewis said: "Mavis Bran is said by a family friend to have been ‘always nagging’ Geoffrey Bran over trivial, silly things."
The terrible burns she suffered were not the result of an accident, but were caused by her husband deliberately pushing or throwing over her a deep fat fryer which contained scalding oil
He said in the months leading up to her death, Mavis' friend Caroline Morgan said the relationship was deteriorating.
He said: "Mavis Bran would telephone Caroline Morgan in tears saying: ‘He’s getting nasty’ and that she was scared of him."
Following the incident, the court heard the skin was coming off her wrists, she was naked above the waist and her upper body was "crimson".
Gareth Davies, another friend of the couple who lived with them, said on the afternoon of October 23 last year Mrs Bran returned home naked from the waist up shouting "I've been burned" and "I've had boiling hot fat all over me".
Despite her injuries, Mavis was telling Mr Davies that he needed to get some fish for customers.
'A BIT OF AN ACCIDENT'
Mr Lewis said: "She declined an ambulance, saying she had already called a friend, Caroline Morgan."
Paramedic Alison Williams said that when they asked Mavis what happened, she told them: "My husband threw the hot fat over me”.
Ms Williams said she heard Mavis say: "Go and get him so that he can see the state of me and see what he has done.”
Bran told a customer that there had been "a bit of an accident", and that Mavis had burnt herself.
He added: "She must have caught it on something. I don't know how it happened."
Customer Guto Jones noticed Geoffrey Bran had an apparently fresh cut above his eye.
When asked how badly Mavis had been burnt, Geoffrey Bran said: "She’s fine. She’s cooking the fish now in the house".
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Bran, of Hermon, was arrested on suspicion of assault after his wife was injured in their takeaway.
But he was later re-arrested and charged with murder.
He denies murder and the trial continues.
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