A JURY has begun its deliberations in the trial of an Andover woman accused of the gross negligence manslaughter of a veteran who died of “catastrophic blood loss”.

Malcolm Cox, aged 84, died after it is believed he hit his head on a plant pot at Izabel Dauti's flat in November 2016.

Mr Cox suffered “significant” blood loss and was taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital on November 15 but succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Ms Dauti, aged 40, and of Bell Road, has denied manslaughter after it is claimed she failed to promptly phone 999 when Mr Cox sustained the wound to the back of his head.

Prosecutors say that the mother of one had a duty of care to the member of the Andover Royal British Legion branch as she was his carer and she breached her position by not calling for medical assistance.

In her closing statement, Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said Ms Dauti rung Mr Cox on a daily basis to check whether he had taken his medication and in return he would pay for her alcohol and groceries.

Mrs Maylin added that on November 14, the day it is believed Mr Cox visited the accused’s flat for the final time, she had phoned the Department for Work and Pensions chasing her form for carer’s allowance.

“We know that she had built up about £1,200 of rent arrears and a way out was that Ms Dauti would be a carer for Mr Cox which would open up the door for benefits,” Mrs Maylin told the jury.

She added that there was a “plethora of evidence” that Ms Dauti was Mr Cox’s carer, including a statement from neighbour Connie Stanton who said that Ms Dauti had cut his toenails at one point.

The court also heard from the defendant’s lover Gwyn Price that Ms Dauti said on a number of occasions that she was caring for Mr Cox.

But Harendra de Silva, defending, said that it would have been impossible for Ms Dauti to be Mr Cox’s carer as, earlier in the trial, the court heard that she had been denied a position as a carer with Infinity Care after employees said she turned up to a trial shift smelling of alcohol.

Mr de Silva insisted that instead of being a carer for Mr Cox Ms Dauti was in fact displaying “public spiritedness” and was acting as a “kindly neighbour” and in return the former Army sergeant major would buy her groceries.

“Is she going to throw that away and watch Mr Cox die in front of her eyes,” Mr de Silva said.

“Was she going to let Malcolm Cox die before her very eyes when he was the person who was going to provide her with some form of livelihood.

“She would never in a million years had wanted to see Mr Cox pass away.”

It is also claimed that Ms Dauti did understand the seriousness of Mr Cox’s injury then, Mrs Maylin added: “She could have stopped it [the bleeding] then he would not have been there overnight. She could have rung the doctor but she let him lay there overnight in his own blood and his own faeces”.

But Mr de Silva said that Ms Dauti did not find Mr Cox bleeding until about 6.45am on November 15 and he did not want to go to hospital and she did not override his decision but let him lie down and have a cup of coffee.