Jenna's mother takes stand

Desiree Baldwin took the stand at her husband's murder trial

The mother of a schoolgirl found dead on a mountainside has begun giving evidence at her husband's murder trial.

Desiree Baldwin, 40, took the witness stand at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday to give evidence at the trial of husband Michael.

Mr Baldwin denies murdering his stepdaughter, 15-year-old Jenna Baldwin, between 3 September and 11 September last year.

The 36-year-old factory worker claims Jenna fell down stairs at the family home in Abersychan, near Pontypool, south Wales, during a heated argument and died.

He claims he panicked and decided to bury her on a mountainside beauty spot called Fiddlers Elbow, near Blaenavon.

Mike Baldwin is accused of murdering his stepdaughter

Mr Baldwin allegedly covered up the killing for 12 weeks by pretending to his family and police that Jenna had run away from home.

Mrs Baldwin told the jury how her husband and Jenna initially had a good relationship and would "go everywhere together" up until she was about six years of age.

Mr and Mrs Baldwin married in 1991 when Jenna, a child from Mrs Baldwin's previous marriage, was still a toddler.

But the relationship between Jenna and Mr Baldwin deteriorated when the couple had children of their own and when Jenna became a teenager, the court was told.

Giving an example of tensions between them, she said Mr Baldwin was unhappy when he began losing his hair and had agreed with his wife to forgo the family summer holiday last year so he could have a hair transplant, she said.

Teasing

The court heard that Jenna began to tease her stepfather about his baldness.

Mrs Baldwin said: "Mike had short hair and then began to lose his hair. He didn't like losing it.

"We talked about him getting advice on having a hair transplant.

"We decided a year ago that instead of going on holiday he would have a hair transplant.

"Jenna knew of his concerns about his hair. I heard her call him baldy from time to time."

Before Jenna died in September last year night, there were problems between night shift worker Mr Baldwin and his stepdaughter, the jury heard.

Jenna Baldwin was missing for 12 weeks before her body was found

Mrs Baldwin said: "It used to annoy Mike that during the summer holiday she would sleep quite late because she like to watch music channels at night.

"She would get up at about noon or 1pm and then meet friends.

"Mike would be annoyed about it because of the noise Jenna would make when he was trying to sleep."

Jenna, who was studying for GCSEs, vanished in only the clothes she was wearing and the duvet from her single bed.

The prosecution told the court that Baldwin made silent calls to the house and to the family's mobile phones to try to convince Desiree her daughter was still alive.

Mr Baldwin was arrested on 29 October.

Jenna's body was found 12 weeks after she disappeared in a shallow grave eight miles away from her home at a beauty spot at Blaenavon.

The trial continues.