Leigh Park murder trial: Friend made hysterical 999 call after receiving video call from Shaye Groves saying she 'murdered' Frankie Fitzgerald

By Steve Deeks
Published 18th Jan 2023, 06:00 BST
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A WOMAN called police telling them she had received a video call from a friend confessing to murdering her boyfriend, a court heard.

Vikki Baitup’s 999 call was played to jurors at Winchester Crown Court in which she told the operator her friend Shaye Groves, 27, revealed she had murdered Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, after showing off his dead body in her Leigh Park home on July 17.

The Portsmouth dad was stabbed in the neck as he slept at her Botley Drive address before Groves lashed out with blows to his chest as he was dying. She denies murder and is claiming self-defence.

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The murder investigation scene in Botley Drive, Leigh Park on Sunday Picture: Emily Jessica TurnerThe murder investigation scene in Botley Drive, Leigh Park on Sunday Picture: Emily Jessica Turner
The murder investigation scene in Botley Drive, Leigh Park on Sunday Picture: Emily Jessica Turner

The court heard Ms Baitup’s frantic call moments after she had been shown Frankie’s dead body and the crime scene by Groves. The witness said she got a video call from Groves ‘saying she murdered (Frankie)’ after she ‘took a dagger and stabbed him in the neck’. She told the handler: ‘It looks like a massive split in his throat. She showed me around her bedroom and (of her) cleaning up. I don’t know what to do. I panicked.’

Ms Baitup went on to tell the operator she thought Groves was ‘joking’ and she ‘couldn’t take it in’ and she ‘really hoped it was a prank’. She told the call-handler Groves was laughing and said she wanted to believe it was an ‘elaborate hoax’ but said: ‘I don’t think (Groves) was (joking).’

Ms Baitup told the operator she saw Frankie’s dead body and the ‘deep gash’, adding: ‘It looked really bad and he wasn’t moving.’

During the 999 call, the witness said of Groves’ behaviour: ‘She was acting like it was fine. How can it be fine? There’s a dead body in your house.’

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Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, of Halstead Road, Portsmouth, died following an incident at an address on Botley Drive.Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, of Halstead Road, Portsmouth, died following an incident at an address on Botley Drive.
Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, of Halstead Road, Portsmouth, died following an incident at an address on Botley Drive.

The court was also shown Ms Baitup’s video interview with police in which she revealed the couple’s interest in bondage, domination, submission, masochism (BDSM). ‘Her and Frankie do some interesting play in the bedroom…they were both into knife play in the bedroom,’ she said.

Ms Baitup also revealed that Groves would carry a knife on her when walking the street and had a BB gun in her bedroom, along with pictures of serial killers and gangster books.

(Proceeding)