51�Թ�

The scantily clad performers spoke in monotone — “lipstick,” “hairbrush,” “pencil” — as the audience took turns puppeteering their arms around their desks.

Giving evidence, Atkins claimed he killed Mr Shotton in self-defence, using the end of a hairbrush and beating him with a loudspeaker, after the lodger threatened him with a knife.

The raised hairbrush threw a shadow on the wall.

The family prayed as McCormick’s great-grandson built a small plywood coffin that was filled with gifts and necessities for the next world, such as her granddaughter’s artwork and a hairbrush.

DNA from Bryan's late mother's hairbrush was later found to be a familial match to traces on the victim's vest and clump of hair.