THE jury in a murder trial has been shown a knife which was found under the bed of 49-year-old Simon Shotton.
Defence barristers presented the image of the knife while giving details of Mr Shotton’s previous convictions.
Mr Shotton’s severed remains were found dumped around the Boscombe area last summer.
Benjamin Atkins, 49, and Debbie Pereira, 39, are currently facing trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of his murder.
Atkins accepted killing Mr Shotton, but said he did so in self-defence after Mr Shotton ‘attacked him with a knife’.
On Monday, Nick Robinson, representing Atkins, said Mr Shotton had 32 convictions for 70 offences.
Giving details of an incident on February 18, 2019, Mr Robinson said: “Mr Shotton thrust a seven inch hunting knife towards the stomach of a male victim at a shared residential house after the victim went to Mr Shotton’s room to confront him about turning off his fridge freezer.
“Police were called and found a knife under Mr Shotton’s bed.”
The court was shown a photograph of the knife found under the bed, and informed that no prosecution resulted.
A second picture of a 3.5inch kitchen knife found in Mr Shotton’s rucksack during a stop and search in Ipswich on June 17, 2021.
Mr Robinson said Mr Shotton was convicted of possessing a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place.
But prosecutor Mr Cavin KC challenged the suggestion that Mr Shotton “was a scary man who Atkins and Pereira were afraid of.”
He told the jury: "Simon Shotton has those previous convictions, but what he isn't, demonstrably, is a big man with a sinister criminal organisation behind him.
“He's a sofa surfing drug addict and dealer who can't afford his own place and it would appear, deals to fund his own habit.”
Mr Cavin KC said the suggestion of Mr Shotton’s involvement with organised crime gangs “is so Atkins can suggest he panicked and disposed of the body because some bad men would come after him”.
On Monday, Pereira changed her plea to guilty for the charge of preventing the burial of a corpse.
She still denies perverting the course of justice and murder.
Atkins admits charges of perverting the course of justice, and preventing the burial of a corpse, but denies murder.
The trial continues.
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