THE NEIGHBOUR of a mum found dead in her flat told a jury that she heard her being verbally abused by her son the night before her death.

Violet Bradley, 58, stated she heard Mary Haley, 72, being called an "old fenian b*****d" in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on February 8, 2020.

The witness told the High Court in Glasgow that she also heard Craig Haley being on top of her followed by an "evil laugh."

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Haley, 37, is on trial accused of murdering his mother, Mary Haley.

Prosecutors claim Haley repeatedly punched and kicked Mary to her head and body.

It is stated Haley struck her to the head and body with a blunt instrument which caused her to fall to the floor.

The charge states Haley dragged her along the floor and stairs before strangling her by compressing her neck.

The court heard from Miss Bradley who stated she was woken up at 4pm by Haley and Mary "shouting and balling" from the upstairs flat.

Prosecutor Graeme Jessop asked what Haley was shouting.

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Miss Bradley replied: "He was shouting that his dad was better off without her and she was an old b***h and a sl**.

"I heard Mary say 'what you on today, you must be on something'."

Miss Bradley claimed Haley became "vicious" and she heard the sound of furniture being moved about.

Mr Jessop asked what Mary was saying during this and Miss Robertson replied: "Stop moving things around."

The prosecutor asked if Miss Bradley could remember anything else which happened.

Miss Bradley replied: "He must have been on top of her as she said 'can you get off me, I can't breathe?'.

"Eventually he must have let her up as she said she was going to make a cup of tea."

The witness added that the man had ordered Mary to sit down.

Mr Jessop asked Miss Bradley what Mary's response was and she replied: "He just laughed...it was an evil laugh."

Miss Bradley said she became "scared" and went to her daughter's house before returning later that night when it was quiet.

She stated that she went out the following day around 3pm and noticed Mary's blinds were still shut and a light was on.

Miss Bradley said: "That wasn't like her."

She said she contacted Mary's family and by the time she returned home police officers were at the block of flats.

The court heard a message Miss Bradley sent to her daughter while the alleged shouting was happening.

It stated: "OMFG him upstairs is knocking his mum about, is is screaming, do I call the police?"

A police statement from Miss Bradley was put to her by Mr Jessop.

In it, she agreed she told officers: “The first thing I heard was ‘you are a dirty old fenian b*****d’.”

She also stated that she heard Mary shouting “help me, help me.”

Haley’s QC Donald Findlay asked Miss Bradley why she didn’t help Mary.

She said: “I was scared...I just wish I listened to her, I just froze on my chair, I couldn’t move.”

Mr Findlay also asked if Mary was Catholic and she replied yes.

The advocate enquired if Haley was also a Catholic and she again responded yes.

Mr Findlay said: “It’s a weird thing for one Catholic to say that to another.

Miss Bradley replied: “I know.”

Mr Findlay later stated: “To refer to your mother as a dirty old fenian b*****d or s**t, would that suggest something was wrong.”

Miss Bradley said: “Yes.”

Haley faces other charges of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards Mary between March 2019 and February 2020.

He is also accused of assaulting her on various earlier occasions between September and Novmeber 2019.

Other allegations include theft of a purse, cigarettes, a bank card, a mobile phone and money as well as possession of diamorphine.

Haley denies all six charges.

The trial continues before judge Lord Sandison.