Court hears about assault charges laid against victim months before she was beaten to death

An officer who responded to the home of David Yates following an altercation between him and his former girlfriend testified Tuesday. Nick Paparella reports.

In the first week and a half of the murder trial in St. Thomas, a court has heard about the rollercoaster relationship between Caitlin Jennings, 22, and 53-year-old David Yates.

As the defence continues with its case, London Police Const. Jared Brown testified about an occurrence he was called out to at 562 Kingsway Ave. in west London in March 2023.

The officer showed up after a 911 call was made to police headquarters.

When he got to the home, he saw the accused wearing nothing but a bathrobe and described the injuries that he saw on Yates.

“There were several large contusions on his face and arms...like bite marks,” he said. “He had dried blood on his nose...and a small laceration on his back.”

Even though the Crown argued that its not known how he got the injuries, Brown ended up charging Jennings with one count of assault and one count of assault with a weapon after a video of an altercation played in court.

A few months later, London police would return to the same address on July 5 of that year and discover Caitlin’s lifeless and beaten body on the living room floor.

The court has heard she died from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

Yates would be arrested and charged with murder.

At the beginning of the trial, Yates offered to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. However, that was rejected by the Crown, and the second-degree murder trial proceeded.

More about the relationship may come to light on Wednesday because the court has heard that Yates is expected to take the stand and testify in his own defence.