A MAN charged with murdering a 65-year-old in Colwyn Bay was branded a “liar” by his co-defendant, who angrily left the dock to return to his custody cell in court today (July 15).
Thomas Whiteley, 33, of Clos Emlyn, Old Colwyn, denies murdering 65-year-old David Wilcox at his home on November 20, 2023, as do his co-defendants, Lauren Harris, 29, of no fixed abode; and David Webster, 43, of Lacey Street, Widnes.
At their trial at Mold Crown Court today (July 15), Whiteley began giving evidence, during which Webster, who has already taken to the witness box, repeatedly shouted at him from the dock.
The court previously heard Harris moved in with Mr Wilcox after a relationship developed between them since they first met in June 2023.
On the night in question, all three defendants had been drinking and taking drugs at Mr Wilcox’s home, on Bay View Road, when an argument ensued and he was fatally attacked and stabbed.
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Whiteley's evidence
Today, Whiteley told the jury he witnessed, but was not involved in, the attack on Mr Wilcox, and said he had never met Webster and only “knew of” Harris prior to November 19.
He said he first came across Webster and Harris, who he presumed were in a relationship, when he was acquiring drugs in Colwyn Bay on the afternoon of November 19.
After they had all been at another person’s flat in Colwyn Bay, Whiteley said Harris suggested the three of them go to Mr Wilcox’s home.
Initially, he said, the mood at Mr Wilcox’s house was “calm”, until Harris suddenly “lost it, jumped up and stabbed Mr Wilcox twice”.
He said he then tried to get Harris to leave, before Webster then “got up and started attacking” Mr Wilcox.
'Silence in the dock'
Webster, at this point, called Whiteley from the dock a “piece of s***” and a “liar” before Mr Justice Pepperall, presiding over the trial, asked for “silence in the dock”, after which Webster apologised.
Whiteley continued his evidence by saying that, as he said he was leaving Mr Wilcox’s home, Harris told him: “You’re going nowhere. If I’m going down, we’re all going down. If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you and your family.”
He added, after Mr Wilcox had been attacked, “I think Webster was going through his pockets”, and said Webster was “on top of” Mr Wilcox as he lay on the floor.
This prompted Webster to again shout at Whiteley from the dock, resulting in him returning to his custody cell in court and a short break being taken.
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Whiteley said he was “bottled” at Mr Wilcox’s home but was unsure by who, and said he apologised to Mr Wilcox “for all of this happening to him”.
“Webster told me to stand by the kitchen door and keep an eye on Mr Wilcox so he couldn’t move,” he said.
“I just stood there in fear by the kitchen door because of what I’d just witnessed.”
'Scared'
Asked by his barrister, Owen Edwards KC, why he complied with Webster, Whiteley said: “I was scared of him.”
Whiteley said he and Webster helped Mr Wilcox back up into a chair, but Harris, who by then had left the home with Mr Wilcox’s bank card, returned minutes later, and “starting attacking Mr Wilcox”.
He said Harris told Mr Wilcox he had given her the wrong PIN code for his bank card, and Webster then “started attacking him, as well”.
After the attack on Mr Wilcox, the three of them made off in his Volvo car at about 2.10am on November 20, which crashed moments later.
Whiteley said he got into the car because he was “scared”, and took the crash as “my opportunity to just run”.
He then discarded many items of clothing in the sea, running to his partner’s home in his underwear.
Asked why he did this, he said he “panicked” and “just didn’t think”.
Within seconds of arriving at his partner’s home, he made a 999 call reporting he had witnessed a stabbing and robbery.
'Lies'
Richard Pratt KC, representing Harris, asked Whiteley: “The suggestion that you were trying to help Mr Wilcox is a lie, isn’t it?”
“No,” Whiteley replied, although he admitted telling police Harris and Webster had “stripped me naked” and stolen his jewellery was false.
It was also put to Whiteley by Mr Pratt that he discarded his clothes because there were traces of Mr Wilcox’s blood on them, which he refuted.
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Despite Whiteley claiming Harris told Mr Wilcox he gave her an incorrect PIN code for his card, it is accepted she correctly entered the code, but an “insufficient funds” message appeared.
“I’m going to suggest to you that’s another of the lies you’re telling,” Mr Pratt said.
“That’s not true. There’s no reason why I would have, or would want to, attack Mr Wilcox,” Whiteley answered.
Whiteley also rejected Mr Pratt’s suggestion Mr Wilcox “bottled” him in act of self-defence.
'Ridiculous'
David Elias KC, representing Webster, suggested to Whiteley he was “trying to shift the blame on what you did to him (Webster)”.
In a police interview, Whiteley had said he thought Mr Wilcox had struck him with a bottle to try to render him unconscious, so Harris and Webster would not cause him further injury.
Mr Elias suggested it is “ridiculous to suggest Mr Wilcox hit you on the head out of some act of kindness”.
He asked Whiteley: “A man who’s been stabbed twice, and has been beaten around the head, then thinks: ‘I’m going to hit that man that’s not involved at all, and is just being nice to me, to help him by… doing what?’”
“Knocking me out,” Whiteley said.
“You were ‘bottled’ on the head because you were attacking him, weren’t you?” Mr Elias asked.
“No - not once did I attack Mr Wilcox,” Whiteley replied.
The prosecution alleges Harris was responsible for stabbing Mr Wilcox, and Webster and Whiteley for unlawful violence towards him, with all three ultimately responsible for his death.
Whiteley continues his evidence tomorrow; Harris will not be taking to the witness box.
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