Woman Killed Sister and Stole Rolex, Court Told

A 69-year-old woman is accused of murdering her older sibling, Jennifer Abbott Dauward—also known as Sarah Steinberg—during a violent attack at her flat in Mornington Place, Camden, north London, on 10 June. The Old Bailey heard that Nancy Pexton, who has no fixed address, stabbed her sister in the neck and took her diamond-encrusted gold Rolex watch.

Three days after the incident, a neighbor broke into Abbott’s flat when he noticed the absence of the corgi’s barking, which he found unusual. Inside, he discovered her body lying on the living room floor with a wound to the neck and gaffer tape covering her mouth. The victim was not wearing her Rolex, a piece she was “greatly attached to” and rarely removed, jurors were informed.

Prosecution’s Case

Prosecutor Bill Boyce KC opened the trial by stating there was no evidence Abbott was alive after Pexton visited her on the day of the attack. The sisters had spoken on the phone at 11:36 BST, and Pexton arrived at her sister’s flat by bus at 12:45 BST, staying for an hour.

Boyce told the court: “She said she could not remember what had happened in the previous 90 minutes, which was the period we say she was undoubtedly in her sister’s flat, the period we say she murdered her sister.”

Abbott’s body was found on 13 June, and her niece, Mai Pexton, had knocked on the door, shouting for her “auntie.” The neighbor, unable to hear the corgi, forced entry and called emergency services upon discovering the body. Firefighters later freed the dog, which had been locked in the bathroom.

Boyce emphasized that Abbott often wore a Cartier bracelet and a gold diamond-encrusted Rolex, both holding “real sentimental value.” The watch was recovered from Pexton’s bag, and she allegedly claimed it was her sister’s, stating she had been asked to take care of it.

Pexton denies the murder charge. The trial continues.