Man fatally stabbed over £10 phone purchase, murder trial hears
A man found lying face down in a pool of blood had been fatally stabbed in the armpit over a £10 phone purchase, a murder trial has been told.Jurors at Maidstone Crown Court heard that Charles 'Charlie' Belsham was killed less than 16 hours after he first used the Redmi A3 device, it having been sold to him by one of the three men now sitting in the dock charged in connection with his death.Charles ‘Charlie’ Belsham was found dead by police in the basement of a house in Castle Road, Chatham. Picture: Future MedwayPolice discovered Mr. Belsham's body in a basement room at a house on Castle Road, Chatham, at approximately 10.20am. on November 1 last year.Although the 999 caller - a man named as Ilir Meta - had claimed his friend had been stabbed in the neck, the fatal wound had in fact been inflicted under the 43-year-old’s left armpit.Said by a pathologist to have been delivered with a force "at the severe end" of the scale, it ran to a depth of 18cm, penetrating the chest cavity and cutting the aorta - the largest blood vessel in the body - causing rapid and profuse bleeding, unconsciousness and ultimately death.On trial accused of Mr Belsham's murder are Mark Jesse, 51, of Castle Road, Chatham, and 41-year-old Shane Rule, of no fixed address. Third defendant, Ashley Robinson, also 41, of Meadow Bank, Chatham, faces a charge of assisting an offender.It is alleged that in the aftermath of the stabbing, he drove Jesse and Rule away from the scene, removed property and attempted to clean a vehicle in order to impede their apprehension and prosecution.At the start of proceedings yesterday afternoon (Thursday), the jury heard that although Robinson sold the phone to the victim, he was not involved in the violence that subsequently erupted. Prosecutor John Cammegh KC said Jesse and Rule acted together in what is known as a joint enterprise, with Jesse wielding the knife and Rule assisting or encouraging him."Charlie Belsham died after sustaining a single stab wound under his left armpit," said Mr Cammegh."Given there was only one stab wound, you might be wondering why it is we allege murder against two defendants rather than one."We are clear, and it will remain clear, that the prosecution's case is that the stab wound was inflicted by Mark Jesse. So what about Shane Rule?“We say the attack on Charlie Belsham involved both Jesse and Rule acting together in what we call a joint enterprise - either by taking part, or assisting or encouraging the principal attacker while sharing the same intent to kill.Castle Road in Chatham was cordoned off at its junction with Listmas Road following the fatal stabbing of Charles 'Charlie' Belsham on Saturday, November 1"The prosecution say Jesse and Rule were acting together in a joint enterprise. The principal attacker was Jesse and Rule was assisting and encouraging him in that attack."Just as a getaway driver is equally culpable as someone who robs a bank, a person who encourages a stabber is equally culpable for the murder."Jesse wielded the knife, Rule assisted or encouraged him." Mr Cammegh said that although the pair also face the alternative, less serious offence of manslaughter, he wanted to "make it absolutely clear" that both men "acted together to murder".He added: "Sadly, the motive is pitifully simple. We say Charlie Belsham was stabbed to death over the purchase of a mobile phone."Detailing the build-up to the fatality, he told the court that the property in Castle Road was one "typically frequented by Chatham's itinerant community".Three men went on trial at Maidstone Crown Court for their alleged roles in the death of Charles ‘Charlie’ Belsham. Picture: Future MedwayJesse lived on the top floor of the multi-occupancy house while Mr Meta lived in a basement room and, for two weeks before Mr Belsham's death, had been allowing his friend to stay.On the evening of October 31, Mr Belsham activated his SIM card in the Redmi phone for the first time. He made a number of calls to a female friend and then downloaded movies at 4.15am before using it for a final time just 22 minutes later.Mr Meta later told police that that same night there had been a "get-together of sorts" at the address and, when he returned to his room to smoke crack cocaine with Mr Belsham and fellow resident Charlie Dalby, Jesse was upstairs with Robinson.Having fallen asleep just after 6.30am, Mr Meta said he woke a few hours later when Robinson came in, demanding the £10 Mr Belsham owed him for the sale of the phone.A physical altercation then ensued, with Robinson and Mr Belsham trying to punch each other, before Mr Meta ushered Robinson out and back upstairs to the top floor.Mark Jesse and Shane Rule are accused of murdering Charles 'Charlie' Belsham in Castle Road, ChathamThe prosecutor told the court: "Robinson was clearly unhappy, saying 'I want my phone. He is a c***. He hasn't paid me. I'm p***ed off,'. "He then went into Jesse's room, saying 'They are f***ing taking the p***', to which Jesse said 'F*** that'."According to Mr Meta, two other men were also in Jesse's room, with one alleged to be Rule.It was then, he told police, that Jesse and Rule each picked up a knife and went downstairs, with Jesse in the lead.When they returned, Mr Meta heard them say "We've done him", before Robinson himself ventured downstairs, coming back to say that Mr Belsham was not breathing. Jesse was seen leaving the house at 10.10am, immediately followed by Rule and, a minute later, by a barefoot Mr Meta.Mr Meta: "Charlie got stabbed in the neck. He isn't breathing...As he hurried away in the direction of Listmas Road, Rule returned to the house before re-emerging at 10.12am with Robinson.Simultaneously, and as soon as he was out of sight of the others, Mr Meta was dialling 999, telling the operator "Charlie got stabbed in the neck. He isn't breathing."The jury was told Mr Dalby's account to police of what took place in the house "differed slightly" in that he made no mention of taking drugs with Mr Belsham and Mr Meta.Instead, he spoke of going to sleep at about 1am before being woken by a "general commotion" of doors banging and men shouting. Scared he might be set upon, he sat on the floor of his room with his back against the door.He then recalled hearing a voice shout "I've stabbed him", the sound of someone going into the basement and others "urgently rummaging around" in the kitchen.Charles 'Charlie' Belsham was stabbed to death in Castle Road, Chatham. Picture: Shaun ColyerThis was followed by the person who had gone to Mr Meta's room returning to say "He's f***ing dead" before he heard people leaving the property.Mr Dalby, who said he had never met Mr Belsham, also told police that although he recognised Jesse's voice, he was not the one who remarked "I've stabbed him".Having been captured on CCTV leaving the property swiftly and in quick succession, the defendants made their way to a nearby Honda Jazz, before driving off from Bright Road with Robinson at the wheel, Rule in the front passenger seat and Jesse in the back. The court was told the car was then driven erratically and dangerously - at one stage even being pursued by police - before being abandoned in Kingfisher Drive, Chatham.Having decamped from the vehicle, Robinson was allegedly seen trying to wipe it down, as if to remove fingerprints, while Jesse and Rule turned their clothing inside out. They then walked off towards Hopewell Drive.The last sighting of the trio was at the Best One store in Luton Road at 10.57am where CCTV showed them buying alcohol. Jesse and Rule were also seen to embrace.When police found the car, they discovered Mr Belsham's blood-stained phone in the rear passenger footwell.The knife used to kill him, however, was never recovered, the prosecutor said.Rule was arrested the following evening in Chatham High Street.When interviewed, he said he and his two co-accused had been drinking rum in Jesse's room when Robinson went downstairs, supposedly to ask for money, only to return saying he had been hit with a hammer.Jesse, said Rule, then went to confront the male responsible and he heard a scuffle.When Jesse returned, Robinson then went downstairs, only to come back saying either the man was "not moving" or was "dead".Castle Road in Chatham was cordoned off at its junction with Victoria Road during the police response to the fatal stabbing of Charles 'Charlie' BelshamRule told police he "didn't want anything to do with it", did not go to the basement, neither held nor used a knife and was being "falsely implicated" by Mr Meta, describing his account as "bull****".He also claimed that after leaving Castle Road, Jesse revealed he had stabbed Mr Belsham using "just the tip" of the knife.Robinson was apprehended in the town on November 3. He denied any involvement in Mr Belsham's killing or seeing anyone with a knife or weapon.He also recalled turning down an offer from Mr Belsham of £10 for the phone in the hope of selling it for £50, and refuted Mr Meta's account of him going into the basement.The jury was told that although Robinson initially denied being the driver of the Honda, claiming not to know who was behind the wheel, he later admitted an offence of dangerous driving.Jesse was the last to be arrested after police, having used bolt cutters to gain entry to a property in Newnham Street, Chatham, found him sitting in the dark with the curtains closed.In his interview, Jesse said he had not seen Mr Belsham on November 1, did not know who had killed him and, having left the house that morning on his own, went to a friend's to detox from drugs.The court heard that tests revealed Mr Belsham had consumed cocaine and heroin before the stabbing. The prosecution said neither substance caused nor contributed to his death.The trial continues next week.
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