The pregnant fiancee of a British police officer killed in an engagement party accident has had her world ‘shattered’, friends say, as neighbors describe hearing people having fun… and then screams of horror

The pregnant fiancée of a British-born police officer who died at his engagement party in Australia has been left “shattered”, her friends said, as neighbors described hearing their party suddenly give way to blood-curdling screams.

Liam Trimmer, 29, and his fiancée Lilly Watts threw a party at their home in Perth, Western Australia, on Sunday night, which continued into Monday morning.

In addition to celebrating their engagement, the couple also announced to loved ones that they were expecting their first child.

But the happy moment ended in tragedy when Mr Trimmer fell and severed a carotid artery in his neck, killing him almost instantly.

Mrs Watts – who is 14 weeks pregnant – was photographed on Wednesday during a short outing with her family. She told Daily Mail Australia that her “soulmate” fiancé “will always be the love of my life and our baby will know what an amazing man he was.”

The party continued late into the night when – around 1am – Mr Trimmer, who moved to Australia from Britain as a teenager, fell.

Mrs Watts is a nurse and the guests at the party consisted largely of police officers and healthcare workers who did everything they could to save his life.

However, his injuries were too serious and he could not be saved.

The Watts family were spotted walking their dog on the local streets on Wednesday, with the young mum-to-be wearing her engagement ring.

Ms Watts told Daily Mail Australia of her grief, saying her fiancé was ‘really excited to be a father’.

“I have never known love like Liam and this heartbreak and emptiness is so overwhelming,” she said. “He will always be the love of my life and our baby will know the wonderful man he was.”

Earlier that day, Mel Kelly, a close friend of Ms. Watts, created one GoFundMe page to raise money for the single mother.

The appeal raised more than $110,000 Australian dollars (£56,000) in less than 24 hours, and as of Thursday had raised more than $125,000 AUD (£64,000).

Ms Kelly wrote: ‘Lilly’s world was shattered by a freak accident that claimed the life of her beloved fiancé.

‘The evening was intended to be a joyful celebration of Lilly and Liam’s recent engagement and the announcement of their pregnancy, a huge milestone in their journey together.

‘Friends and family gathered to share in their happiness. In a cruel turn of events, Liam’s life was cut short, leaving a void that can never be filled.”

She said Mrs Watts had lost her ‘soulmate’, who now faces the prospect of raising her child alone while juggling living costs.

Ms Watts’ mother, Channy Watts, declined to comment on the tragedy when contacted on Thursday.

Neighbors have since described hearing the party from their homes, and how loud music was suddenly interrupted by shouting.

A neighbor said: ‘We don’t know what happened but they were outside and one of the boys turned on a megaphone at 1am, the music was loud, then the shouting and then nothing. We heard screams coming from girls – like gigantic, high-pitched screams.

‘We thought maybe something had happened. Maybe someone fell or got hurt.”

Another said the music was so loud she considered calling the police to file a noise complaint, before the party ended abruptly.

She said: ‘I’m new to the area so I didn’t want to be a party pooper but it was almost 1am on Monday morning, it sounded like there were over 50 people there.’

An elderly couple who live across the street from Ms Watts and Mr Trimmer said they also heard noise from the party and were initially relieved when it was over.

“We didn’t think much about it, but we did notice that the police left the next day with a van full of stuff,” the woman said.

Mr Trimmer was originally from Britain but moved to Australia in 2013 and joined the police force.

His career began at the WA Police Academy in Joondalup and featured in the British TV series ‘Wanted Down Under’, where he gave teenagers advice about life in Australia before migrating.

He later joined the gang and the tactical response group.

He held various posts while in the force, including in regional parts of the state, and took part in ‘Movember’ with officers from Kalgoorlie Police Station.

In the days following his death, friends and colleagues took to social media to pay tribute to Mr Trimmer.

A friend described him as ‘possibly the strongest guy’ in a local trekking group.

“Great sense of humor and a passion to excel,” they wrote.

“In my opinion, society cannot afford to lose guys like Liam [who had] the courage to go into the oven every day and deal with the ‘tough side of police work’.

“The boys are sore this week, but they have continued with major training and domestic operations.”

Another friend replied, “He was like that from day one [police] academy – you couldn’t help but not like him.”

A third person wrote: “It’s been a sad few days at the office.”

‘Lots of hugs and lots of tears. But… the boys continue with it and get stuck in their training. Hopefully it’s a good distraction.’

Speaking to a local radio station, Police Commissioner Col Blanch described Mr Trimmer as a ‘deeply loved’ and respected officer with ‘his whole life ahead of him’.

“I know that if my phone rings early in the morning from a senior officer, it’s usually not good news, and tragically it wasn’t,” he said.

“I know everyone involved is really hurting right now, and I think they wish they could just wake up from this nightmare.”

The cause of the accident has not been confirmed.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.