March 28, 2022 6.44 pm This story is over 23 months old

Sam Davies murder trial: Heydari’s involvement ‘plain to see’

One of seven Lincoln males on murder trial

Daniel Heydari’s involvement in the plan to murder Sam Davies is “plain to see”, the trial jury has been told in a closing speech.

Members were reminded on Monday, March 28 of the judge’s directions that a defendant does not have to actually carry out a murder to be guilty of it.

Eimantas Gochman, 20, has admitted that he fatally stabbed 23-year-old Mr Davies in Lincoln on May 27 last year.

He is one of seven city males on trial at Nottingham Crown Court for murder.

Delivering his closing speech on Heydari remotely due to testing positive for Covid-19, prosecution barrister William Harbage QC said: “We say that Daniel Heydari’s involvement in the plan is plain to see – he is guilty of murder.”

Messages about needing someone “dipped up” (stabbed) and “five there” – said by the prosecution to mean £5,000 for the hit – were sent from Heydari’s phone to co-defendant Billy Gill.

Heydari says co-defendant Joe Jameson sent them; Jameson says he never had Heydari’s phone.

Gill sent back Gochman’s mobile number along with messages vouching for him.

The stabbing took place in a park off Coleridge Gardens about five-and-a-half hours later, around 10.45pm.

Heydari was at home, having had a Wagamama meal delivered.

Mr Harbage said of phone contact in the ensuing period: “Heydari messages a single question mark to [co-defendant Billy] Gill. Why has that happened at that stage?

“You may think it’s obvious – Heydari wants to know more of what’s happened and thinks Mr Gill is going to be able to give him the answer.

“Heydari and Gill are messaging into the early hours. One is ‘Are you going to meet him?’

“Mr Heydari told you that referred to Mr Gochman. They are messaging because Mr Heydari wants to know what’s going on.

“And then there’s Heydari messaging ‘seems all good’.

“In the context of this case you may think that he meant all had gone to plan – the plan he formulated with Joe Jameson.”

Mr Harbage said the prosecution says there is “no doubt” about that.

“Remember the dipping up messages are on Daniel Heydari’s phone,” he told the jury. “That is hard evidence against him.

“Remember the police van recordings. Again that’s real evidence including Heydari saying ‘it’s my phone that’s the problem – we’re f***ed.’”

Mr Harbage had earlier reiterated the prosecution’s view that Heydari was manipulative of Jameson, whom he supplied with large amounts of drugs.

And he said that “power dynamic” was clear in a silent video from January 26 of Heydari talking to Jameson in a prison waiting room.

“The body language in that clearly showed a stark difference between the two men,” said Mr Harbage.

And the prosecution barrister reminded the jury that Heydari had lied in police interviews.

His defence of the “dipped up” messages being sent by Jameson was first given on January 20, after the trial had started and eight months after his police interviews.

“It was a very late invention,” claimed Mr Harbage. “There is no reason why he couldn’t have said that in interview if it was true.

“We say he didn’t say that then because he hadn’t thought of that then.

“He knew that if the police got into his mobile the evidence of his involvement would be there.”

The jury had heard evidence that Heydari, who had refused to supply his iPhone’s number, PIN and network provider to police, said “f***” under his breath when detectives told him they had accessed it.

Mr Harbage said: “An involuntary reaction, you might think, because he knew the game was up.”

All seven defendants face one count of murder, which they each 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.

The trial continues.

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