Trial hears of body in suitcase

Philip Bell, 22, who Maidstone Crown Court heard was born in Salisbury but kicked out of his home aged 15 by his father, is charged with strangling 17-year-old Terry Edmonds with her own scarf during a sex attack in a car park in Tunbridge Wells.

At the time, Bell was living rough in an area of the car park nicknamed the "lonely stairwell" the jury of nine women and one man has been told. This is where he is alleged to have throttled the teenager.

Bell is accused of carrying out the attack on April 17, 2006, during the Easter weekend and then hiding the girl's body in a suitcase belonging to him. Bell's Salisbury origins emerged as he began to give evidence in the case.

He told the court he was one of three children born in the city, and alleged he was regularly beaten by his father who, he claimed, was an alcoholic.

Watched for some of the time by the dead girl's mother who sat in the back of the court, he told the jury he left home at the age of about 15 after his father kicked him out adding: "I had had enough of him hitting me about, so I started to fight back."

He said he then went on the streets and with no job, trade or qualifications, shoplifted for money to eat and buy drugs.

He then told how he "hooked up" with a Big Issue seller and they moved to Bournemouth. Then, three or four years ago, he walked to Tunbridge Wells. He said he had first lived rough in one car park and then moved to stairwell four at the former Morrison's supermarket next to the railway station at Tunbridge Wells.

Bell admitted taking a range of drugs including hash, Ecstasy, glue and gas solvents, amphetamine, magic mushrooms, heroin, LSD, crack cocaine and tranquilisers.

He said he would get free food from a church, a kitchen called the Soup Bowl and the Salvation Army at Tunbridge Wells. He could not draw benefit because he lost his ID and his income came from dealing in mainly cannabis.

When he was about 18, he started a relationship with a girl. He denied a claim by her that he was violent towards her.

Quizzed by his own QC, Alun Jenkins, about the murder Bell was asked: "Were you responsible for the death of Terry Edmonds? Did you kill her."

Bell replied "no" to both questions.

He was questioned about claims from a female witness he had once boasted: "I know how to kill someone."

In reply he said: "I don't know how to kill someone. The conversation came up because the Old Bill were pestering me."

He told the court that at the time he was said to have been sexually assaulting Terry and killing her, he had been smoking a large amount of cannabis.

Bell said of the dead girl that there was no way he would have wanted to meet her, and said he had no recollection of seeing her at the car park on the day she was killed.

The prosecution has alleged Bell had grazes on his knees from the attack on Terry. However, Bell claims they were caused when he had been playing football.

At the start of the case earlier in January, prosecuting counsel, Anthony Haycroft said the evidence against Bell was "circumstantial."

However, he said when the circumstantial evidence was put together, it linked Bell to the killing and the hiding of Terry's body in a suitcase which had belonged to Bell. The evidence, he said, was "very strong."

That evidence, said Mr Haycroft, included a partial DNA sample found on Terry's body, CCTV footage showing Bell and Terry entering the car park stairwell at virtually the same time on "a collision course" and then not showing Bell again for almost an hour and never showing Terry again.

Other evidence, included lies told to police by Bell about not being at the car park, a minute spot of Terry's blood found on clothing worn by Bell, the fact the suitcase containing the body was hidden in a spot where Bell used to hide things and the fact that Bell's sleeping bag had been heavily stained with Terry's blood.

The court heard it took police 12 days to find Terry's fully clothed body, which was in a foetal position in the suitcase.

The case continues.