Cops ‘palmed off’ petrified soldier’s girlfriend Alice Ruggles weeks before she had her throat slit from ‘ear-to-ear’, court hears

A MURDER victim whose throat was slit "ear to ear" felt "palmed off" by police after she called them over fears her ex-lover was stalking her weeks before her death a court heard.

SAS hopeful Trimaan "Harry" Dhillon denies stalking his former girlfriend Alice Ruggles and murdering her at her flat on Rawling Road in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

Alice was discovered in a pool of blood by flatmate Maxine McGill at their home on October 12 last year.

Dhillon's trial heard "petrified" Alice reported him to Northumbria Police on September 20, three weeks before her death, after he drove 260 miles from his barracks in Edinburgh to her flat to deliver a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates.

The Lance Corporal, who the court heard used his army training to hack her social media, was subsequently served with a warning from his commanding officer who told him to "sever all ties and stop communication with Alice".

But Newcastle Crown Court was told how Dhillon, 26, ignored the warning, sending her letters, poems and even messaging her mother.

Giving evidence at court, Maxine McGill, Alice's flatmate, said she called police again in October after receiving a package from Dhillon containing a letter, photos of them and a notebook.

Maxine said she was given a choice whether to have Dhillon arrested, but prosecutor Richard Wright told the court the 24-year-old "generously decided not to have him arrested".

Maxine said: "She called 101 and the officer she spoke to before wasn't there so she spoke to the operator.
"She felt as if it was palmed off.

"She was asked the question 'what do you want to do about it?' and she said 'I don't know that is why I am phoning you, I'm getting back in contact.'

"She basically said it was a waste of time."

Maxine said she felt "creeped out" by 26-year-old Dhillon and said their relationship "ruined Alice".

The flatmate told court: "She became introvert, visibly shaking, anxiety, skinny, she lost a lot of weight, she was pale, she was not as outgoing as she used to be.

"She would not do fun things and go out for meals.

"When it was over she was looking forward to the next chapter of her life.

"But she still became petrified when you would speak about him."

She said she was initially angry with Alice when she turned up at their shared house to find she couldn't get in and had to scale a back wall - but then she saw her bloodied body.

Maxine said: "I was going to have a row with her because of the windows and the doors unlocked.

"I stopped in my tracks and I just ran to her.

"The first thing I noticed was the amount of blood everywhere.

"For a second I thought that she had a fall and hurt her head but then I seen everything.

"The amount of blood and the position she was lying in, I knew it had not been a fall."

Paying tribute to her friend, Maxine, who broke down in tears whilst giving evidence, added: "She was different from me but she had the most vibrant
personality and we just got each other."

Also giving evidence, PC Owen, who was the first officer on the scene, said: "There was so much blood that it obscured the skin pallor.

"It (the neck wound) was catastrophic - it was way beyond my training to try and close.

"The only thing I could try do do it was chest compressions but I could see that they were not having effect."

Dhillon, of Glencourse Barracks, Penicuik, Scotland, has denied a charge of murder and the trial continues.

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