A defendant in the Sam Davies murder trial made up a drugs deal story to cover his involvement in the plot, the jury has been told.
It came as Daniel Heydari completed giving his evidence at Nottingham Crown Court, on Tuesday, March 8.
He was accused of “fabricating” that he had been arranging a drug deal on the day of the stabbing to explain the number of his calls and messages to people involved in the case.
Phone records show that he was on an eight-minute call with Joe Jameson spanning the time Mr Davies was stabbed in a park between Coleridge Gardens and Browning Drive in Lincoln.
CCTV images show Mr Davies entering the park at 10.46pm on May 27 last year and stabber Eimantas Gochman running out 38 seconds later.
Heydari claims he was at home, having had a Wagamama meal delivered.
At the same time as he was on the call to Jameson, he sent a “?” message to co-defendant Billy Gill.
He told the court: “It was to ask sort of what happened but more along the lines of why Joe said he [had been] helping him. I interpreted that to be that Billy was there.”
Heydari later found that not to be the case.
William Harbage QC reminded Heydari that his defence statement had been served on January 20 – eight days after the start of the trial.
“Very, very, very late in the day,” the barrister added.
“I don’t believe that I addressed or used any of the information that was used in that part of trial. I already had access to quite a lot of the evidence,” replied Heydari, who said his statement was “always going to be late” due to a technology issue after he had received all the evidence.
“You have pored over the prosecution evidence and fabricated a story around that,” said Mr Harbage.
Heydari replied: “Not at all. In the first week or ten days of being in jail, I tried to write a diary of what happened throughout the day and I’ve kept that with me. When I did see the evidence and a detailed download of my phone, I put the facts in. It all fitted together.”
Mr Harbage said: “You’ve attempted to weave the known facts into a story that exculpates you.”
Heydari denied that.
“You’ve told a pack of lies to the jury in the same way you told a pack of lies to the police,” said Mr Harbage.
“I don’t deny lying in the interview, but not now,” was the reply.
Seven defendants face one count of murder, which they all deny.
They are Billy Gill, 21, of Hatcliffe Gardens; Daniel Heydari, 25, of Chestnut Street; Joe Jameson, 24, of Whitehall Terrace; Eimantas Gochman, 20, of Sturton Close; 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.”
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