Accused murderer was seen with scratches on his face after victim's death

Bespectacled David Burgess, aged 64, formerly of Stoneyfield, Beenham, is charged with murdering 17-year-old Yolande Waddington (pictured right), who was found dead in a ditch in Clay Lane, Beenham, on October 30, 1966.
She had been stabbed and strangled.
Miss Waddington had only moved to Beenham from Newbury five days before she was killed to work as an au pair for Peter and Rosemary Jagger at Oakwood Farm, also in Clay Lane.
Today, the court heard that Mr Burgess was seen with scratches on his face on the morning of October 29,1966, just hours after Miss Waddington went missing.
Statements made at the time by Mr Burgess’ colleagues at the Amey’s gravel pit in Beenham, where Burgess used to work as a dumper driver, were read to the jury.
The court heard that Mr Burgess’ colleague, Arthur Astles made the following statement at the time: “David Burgess arrived at work with a number of long scratches on his face. I know several of the workers took the mickey out of Burgess about it.
“Burgess took the ribbing about the scratches in good heart but he did get fed up after a while.”
The court also heard evidence from Mr Burgess’ former friend, James Sharp, who also lived in Stoneyfield, Beenham, at the time.
Mr Sharp told the court that he and Mr Burgess had met at school in Beenham aged ten, and remained friends until 1967.
Mr Sharp told the court that Mr Burgess had a similar penknife to the one found at the scene of Miss Waddington's dead body. He said they would often use Mr Burgess’ penknife when they went poaching in the north west of the village.
He said: “I think David Burgess owned a knife similar to that. We used to use it for taking cartridges out of the gun (when poaching) but I think it had a broken blade. I think it had one (blade) and a broken blade.”
Mr Sharp also told the court he did not know that the barn where Miss Waddington’s clothes were found was a location for ‘courting couples,’ as farm labours in the village described it. Mr Sharp said Mr Burgess never spoke of the barn either.
The trial continues.