Body in a suitcase murder trial: day nine (From Bournemouth Echo)

3:47pm

Court finishes for the day.

Back at 10am tomorrow when Benjamin Henry Walter is expected to give evidence.  

3:11pm

Short break.

3:10pm

Stuart Wareham finishes giving evidence.

3:10pm

Mr Mousley QC has finished cross examining Stuart Wareham.

3:09pm

Q: I am suggesting to you it wasn't just becasue of Geoffrrey Reed's previous convictions, the heinous crimes that you took against him, that you killed him. There was mony invoved as well wasn't there?

Stuart: No.

3:07pm

Referring to Stuart's Facebook entry on June 8 - "Everyone has a dark side. do you love me, do you love mine?"

Q: What is the relevance of that?

Stuart: I don't know I just like the song

Q:Do you have a dark side?

Stuart: No

Q: Killed someone?

Stuart: No

3:06pm

Q: You'd gone to quite a lot of effort. Do you think you were a bit unlucky to be found out?

Stuart: No

Q: You did your best to cover your tracks didn't you?

Stuart: No

Q: And you thought you had every angle covered?

Stuart: No

Q: Did you think police would never find Geoffrey in the woods 13 miles away?

Stuart: I knew no one had gone there so didn't think it would be found.

Q: Do you think you might have got away with it?

Stuart: No

Q: You tried to didn't you?

Stuart: yeah

3:02pm

Referring to his Facebook entry on June 7

"Having a lovely day with my family."

Q: What did this mean?

Stuart: "nothing I put it on there basically for appearance sake."

2:42pm

Prosecution is now taking Stuart through the text message log.

2:33pm

Q: Were you jumping up and down on the chest?

Stuart: NO

Q: You did more than one punch and knocking him to the ground. You were all at it.

Stuart: NO.

2:21pm

Stuart denies suggestions he was cunning by trying to cover up his tracks.

2:16pm

Question from jury on this subject.

When Stuart talked about doing a Randy orton did he mean kicking him in the head which is one of the wrestlers finishing moves?

Stuart: No. I don't know much about him.

2:14pm

In one of his letters Stuart referred to doing a 'Randy Orton' on Geoff.

Randy Orton is a professional American wrestler.

2:11pm

Pros say Dr Purdue describes that a ligature/gag was put across Mr Reed's mouth and round the dead.

Stuart says he put this on him but it was to stop the blood coming from his ear and prevent blood staining on the carpet.

2:08pm

Pros are asking Stuart about digging the hole for the suitcase.

Stuart said Henry did about half of it with him.

2:06pm

We are back in court for more of the trial.

1:00pm

Court breaks for lunch.

12:45pm

Q: This is the version of events you are telling Henry you were going to put forward in court.

I am suggesting you have made up a version you wanted to be believed to fit the facts in this case.

Stuart: NO

12:42pm

Dan then suggested we place the body in the suitcase to be able to hide Mr Reed's body.

Q: Is this all correct?

Stuart: Yes

12:41pm

In his statement Stuart said he tied a bag around Mr Reed's dead.

He said he and Henry carried the body to the kicthen and put it behind the sofa.

They then cleaned the flat

Dan suggested about Henry dressing up in Geoff's clothes and walking round the block to make him look like he'd left on his own accord.

12:39pm

Stuart said Mr Reed made a comment about having sex with his sister.

He told police: "I grabbed Mr Reed around the throat with my right hand, I hit him with my left."

He told police he turned round and looked out of the window and heard thumping sounds.

Turned round again and Mr Reed was dead.

Took the body to the bathroom to try and hide it under the bath but it wouldn't fit.

12:28pm

Q: Mr Wareham you are making up this story to fit the evidence against you.

Stuart: No.

12:26pm

Pros are taking Stuart through his defence statement.

12:11pm

Short break

11:56am

Q: Did you do more than punch him once and knock him down?

Stuart: No

Q: Do you accept you started something the others finished?

Stuart: Yes

Q: Do you accept you were responsible for his murder?

Stuart: No I am not responsible for Mr Reed's murder.

11:52am

Q: You planned to kill him and you did kill him didn't you?

Stuart: No.

11:45am

Pros reading out extracts from Stuart's Not Guilty poem which reads: 

"I have planned it a thousand ways

Discussing it with my best mate Henry most days

From cutting him up

To pushing him off a boat

We only hoped he wouldn't float"

Q: What do you mean?

Stuart: Joking about killing Mr Reed.

Q: Planned a thousand ways to kill Mr Reed?

Stuart: Yes

11:37am

Stuart says he believes Lee killed Geoff from what he was told by Lee, Henry and Dan.

11:35am

Stuart is saying that Henry said it was Lee who stabbed him with the screwdriver.

11:35am

Q: Is that something you have made up?

You heard the evidence from the pathologist. Are you aure you are not making it up?

Stuart: No. It's something I have seen.

Q: Colour?

Stuart: Blue.

11:33am

Q: How was he finished off?

Stuart: I don't know I didn't see the attack after I hit him.

Q: Where did you see the screwdriver?

Stuart: In the side of his head. It was sticking in around his ear.

Q: Which ear?

Stuart: The right ear I believe.

11:31am

Q: Asked about a reference in his letters "we did attack".

Stuart: Says he did hit Mr Reed.

"I didn't see who finished Mr Reed off, I just know it was someone else in the house."

11:29am

Q: One of your letters was written: To ben (suitcase). What does that mean?

Stuart: Henry's nickname in prison was suitcase

Q: What was your nickname?

Stuart: Screwdriver

Q: Did you think that was amusing

Stuart: No

11:27am

Q: Most of the things you write to Henry have a meaning don't they?

Stuart: Not really

Q: What about all the poems? Romantic?

Stuart: No

11:24am

Stuart is being asked about his references to Harry Potter in the letters.

He says it doesn't mean anything and was written as a bit of fun.

11:22am

More extracts of letters from Stuart Wareham to Benjamin Walter being read out.

"Henry, me and you are brothers for life no one can beat the three Amigos we will win in the end."

11:18am

Stuart is saying that in letters Lee had said he had given Mr Reed a "good kicking and he deserved it".

11:13am

Stuart Wareham is being asked about why he wrote in a letter that he was proud of Benjamin Henry Walter. 

"I am not prepared to disclose that information."

Q: Are you proud of him that he took part in that attack on June 7?

Stuart: No

Q: That he had the guts to do that?

Stuart: No

11:09am

Judge is talking to jury and tells them that the contents of letters written by Stuart Wareham in prison cannot be used as evidence against the co-defendants unless he says it in evidence in the witness box in court.

11:05am

Jury are back in court.

Stuart Wareham continues to be cross examined by prosecutor Timothy Mousley QC.

10:35am

Good morning. Trial is expected to get underway again soon.