Evidence concludes in Boscombe 'body parts' murder trial

Prosecution and defence barristers have made their closing speeches in the trial of Benjamin Atkins and Debbie Pereira at Winchester Crown Court.

The pair are accused of murdering 49-year-old Simon Shotton at their flat in Aylesbury Road, Boscombe, on August 18 last year.

Atkins, 49, admitted killing Mr Shotton by hitting him on the head with a speaker, but said he was acting in self-defence because Mr Shotton ‘attacked him with a knife’.

Pereira, 39, said she saw the fight break out between Atkins and Mr Shotton, but ‘panicked’ and ran to another room.

She said Atkins joined her some minutes later and told her, “It’s over. He’s dead.”

Over the next two days, Atkins and Pereira were captured on CCTV selling Mr Shotton’s belongings to a pawn shop and stealing a saw from Wilko in Boscombe Sovereign Centre.

Prosecutors say Atkins is seen with a 'saw dangling from the handlebars of his bike' (Image: CPS)

Pereira said she didn't see Atkins dismember Mr Shotton, but recalled him saying he was going to “chop up the body and put it in the sea so the fish could eat it”.

On Tuesday, the jury heard a closing speech by Zafar Ali KC, representing Atkins.

Mr Ali KC suggested Mr Shotton was "absolutely hell bent on having a physical confrontation" with Atkins on the morning of August 18.

• Read more: Murder trial continues after man killed and dismembered

He claimed there was “no evidence” that Atkins wasn’t acting in self-defence, and told the jury: "Atkins reacted to the knife attack, you may think, as anyone would."

Mr Ali KC also challenged the suggestion that Pereira was “frightened” of Atkins and “controlled” by him.

He told the jury to look at the CCTV footage of the couple captured after the killing, and said: “They look like two teenagers in their first romance.”

Simon Shotton (Image: Dorset Police)

In his closing speech, prosecutor Paul Cavin KC said Pereira was “there throughout”.

He told the jury: “After the event, the mannerisms, and what they go and do, she's happy to hang out with a killer and sell a murdered man's property, because she knows exactly what's happened.”

Mr Cavin KC also said Atkins’ account of what happened was “obviously a lie” and accused him of “making up” the self defence argument.

On Tuesday afternoon, The Honourable Mrs Justice Stacey began to summarise the evidence.

The summary is expected to conclude on Wednesday morning.