Man's car denial at murder trial
A man today denied borrowing the car used to kill a Telford father-of-two. Kelvin Currens appeared as a witness before a jury at Stafford Crown Court. A man today denied borrowing the car used to kill a Telford father-of-two. Kelvin Currens appeared as a witness before a jury at Stafford Crown Court. Mr Currens insisted he did not use Craig Dunn's Fiat Bravo on the night Neil Powell, pictured, was repeatedly stabbed and run over. Dunn, of Willowfield, Woodside, Telford, denies murdering Mr Powell on April 29 last year. In a police interview, Dunn, 33, blamed Mr Currens for the death. Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star
He told the jury today how Dunn, who is accused of murdering Mr Powell, visited him to quiz him after the body was found at the side of Ironbridge by-pass.
Dunn, of Willowfield, Woodside, Telford, denies murdering Mr Powell on April 29 last year. In a police interview, Dunn, 33, blamed Mr Currens for the death.
Dunn claimed Mr Currens had borrowed the car and returned it with blood on it and damage to it.
But when CCTV - shown to the court today - showed Mr Currens in Wellington at the time Mr Powell was killed, Dunn told police Mr Currens must have got someone else to do it.
Mr Currens said he saw Mr Powell every day of the week and spoke to him numerous times on the phone.
He said the last time he saw him was when Mr Powell dropped him and some friends off in Wellington the night before his death.
Mr Currens told the court today Mr Powell had told him he had been "threatened" prior to his death by a man called Frankie Evans.
Talking about a visit from Dunn after Mr Powell's death, Mr Currens said: "He was keen to ask me questions about what the police had asked me and I told him police wanted to speak to him.
"He was very inquisitive. He said did I mention anything about him and I said I had told them he was with Neil that night."
Mr Currens said he also saw Dunn after Dunn had been interviewed by police.
"When he came into the bedroom he started to blow and he was pale," said Mr Currens.
"He said the police had started to ask him questions and they had got all pictures on the wall. He was shaking."
Yesterday, the jury heard Dunn told detectives he was "high" on crack cocaine doing DIY at home at the time he is alleged to have committed the murder.
Dunn was first arrested by police as a "significant witness" but when Rebecca Headley, Dunn's fiancee, told police he had confessed to the murder, detectives arrested him as a suspect.
Mr Powell was run over and stabbed more than 20 times at the side of the Ironbridge by-pass. Forensic tests have proved it was Dunn's Fiat Bravo which was used to run Mr Powell over.
Yesterday, Detective Constable Mark Morton read out nine interviews between himself and Dunn.
During the interviews before he was charged, Dunn denied having anything to do with the murder of Mr Powell or any knowledge of it.
He told officers that he had visited Mr Powell at his home in Madeley twice during the evening before he was found at the side of the Ironbridge bypass.
He said they had both smoked "rocks", referring to crack cocaine, before Dunn drove the long way home to give himself time to "come down" before reaching home where he fitted some plasterboard and trunking.
The hearing continues.
By Kirsty Marston
