Defendant Billy Gill is “not the sort of person you’d want to take home to meet your grandmother”, his barrister told the Sam Davies murder trial.
But that does not make him a murderer, Paul Hynes QC said to the jury during his closing speech at Nottingham Crown Court.
Gill and Charlie Wakefield, both 21, were the only defendants among the seven to elect not to give evidence to the trial, now in its 12th week.
Gill has been labelled “the fixer” as it’s accepted that he provided Eimantas Gochman’s contact number when messaged from Heydari’s phone about needing someone “dipped up” (stabbed) in Lincoln on May 27 last year.
Gill vouched for Gochman as a “certy boy” (respected among peers).
Mr Hynes said Gill had not taken the stand because there was not much he could add to the prosecution case.
“He receives the messages, he looks at the messages, he responds to the messages,” the barrister reminded the jury.
He said “dipped up” can mean stabbed but many people do not know that and the prosecution’s witness on that matter – Det Insp Jennifer Lovatt – had been “thoroughly and utterly misleading”.
Mr Hynes described Gill as “living his best life” at the time of the killing – being able to enjoy comforts by making a “decent amount of money” through dealing cannabis.
“I’m a realist,” said the barrister, “and I do him no favours by suggesting that there isn’t a degree of suspicion about him being involved in this.
“Undoubtedly he is involved.”
He suggested that the jury would not find Mr Gill’s way of life “attractive”.
“You’re not going to think ‘that Billy Gill – he’s the sort of bloke I’d like to take home to meet my grandmother,’” Mr Hynes added.
“You may not like him, you may think him suspicious, you may think he did probably things. But none of those states of belief are sufficient for your purposes.
“Because you carry with you the burden of representing society in the case of, amongst others, Billy Gill against the Queen.”
Mr Hynes focused on one of a number of questions which the judge asked the jury to consider.
It was whether members could be sure that a defendant – other than Gochman – was aware of a plan to attack someone by stabbing.
Mr Hynes said Gill was, as CCTV had shown, out having lunch at a restaurant and then drinks at The Lincoln Imp pub followed by The Ivy. And the barrister said his client was paying little attention to what was going on elsewhere.
“Billy Gill could not have given a monkey’s about Sam Davies. That’s harsh in the context of a man who was stabbed in a park for no particular reason.
“But he’s out, afternoon off, enjoying himself and there’s not a scintilla of evidence or even a suggestion that he knew Sam Davies. There’s not a scintilla of evidence that Sam Davies had done anything to harm him.”
He told the jury that Gill was doing well off his dealing and would not knowingly have got involved in any plan for serious injury or murder.
“The last thing you would want is to get embroiled in this sort of thing because it brings the police down in numbers.”
He added: “Everything he cared about is at an end for someone else’s problem, someone else’s plan, negotiated by two people outside his presence.”
Mr Hynes highlighted two tragedies in the case – the first being that of Mr Davies.
Pointing to Gill, he continued: “The second tragedy – whatever you decide about who’s responsible and to what extent – sits at the back of the court, mostly quiet, just wondering what’s going to happen.”
Mr Hynes finished his speech by saying: “He did a small favour, not caring, not intending and not in any way being interested in what was to happen thereafter.
“That puts him in a bad position and he’s going to have to deal with that. But however reprehensible that makes him, it doesn’t, by a matter of law, make him a murderer.”
All seven defendants face one count of murder, which they all deny.
They are Billy Gill, 21, of Hatcliffe Gardens; ; Eimantas Gochman, 20, of Sturton Close; Daniel Heydari, 25, of Chestnut Street; Joe Jameson, 24, of Whitehall Terrace; Eric Kesel, 19, of Browning Drive; and Charlie Wakefield, 21, of Broxholme Gardens.
A 17-year-old boy cannot be legally identified due to his age.
Jameson is also accused of making a threat to kill, which he denies.
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The final in the latest series of road closures for works on the A1, as part of the Grantham Southern Relief Road project, has been temporarily postponed
A weekend northbound A1 closure was due to be in place between 8pm on Friday, May 20 and 6am on Monday, May 23.
However, Lincolnshire County Council said the closure has been temporarily postponed and once new dates have been confirmed they will be shared.
Works on phase three began in April this year, with the council anticipating that winter 2023 will be the completion date for the relief road.
This will be with the view to reduce congestion and carbon emissions, and provide opportunities for growth in the local economy.
The £102 million Grantham Southern Relief Road project has been led by Lincolnshire County Council, supported by South Kesteven District Council, Highways England, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Network Rail, Homes England, the Department for Transport and local business contributions.
Safety improvements have been carried out at corner where numerous accidents have occurred in East Keal.
The council is looking into what else can be done to prevent motorists from coming off the road at Hall Corner, while police are looking into the possibility of fitting a speed camera.
A cement lorry recently overturned on the corner in February.
Lincolnshire County Council has found a slight dip in the road where Blacksmith Lane meets the A16 could be the reason why heavy vehicles travelling at excessive speed are tipping over.
It is considering whether to smooth out and realign the road, but says it is concious of the impact that closing the A16 would have on traffic and local businesses.
Several safety improvement measures have already been put in place, including ‘slow’ markings, enhanced bend warning signs and improved chevrons.
Problems have been found with the road surface on the corner. | Photo: Google Street View
Lincolnshire Police are assessing whether a speed camera on the corner would be beneficial, and will be taking speed readings in the coming weeks.
Larger barriers and longer safety fencing have been proposed by the public. However, the county council says that in order for it to be big enough to withstand the impact of overturned vehicles, the cost can’t be justified.
Either the local parish council or the country council could also explore whether to fund a reactive speed sign on the location.
Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “We are very thankful to the residents and members of the parish council who have given us their ideas and support in what can be done at Hall Corner. Local knowledge and personal feedback are cornerstones of what we do in terms of delivering the best solutions in the most informed way.
“There has already been much done at this bend to try and mitigate the issues faced and we now have more planned for this particular area that will go on to encourage all road users to drive accordingly in line with the road and conditions.
“I would like to thank everyone involved so far for their input. We will all work together to get the best resolution we can for Hall Corner.”