Bennett brothers on trial for murder of taxman
A TAXMAN was shot at least twice with what “had to be a shotgun” in a Mountain Ash layby before he died two months later, a jury has been told.
Brothers Stephen Bennett, 53, of Masefield Way, Pontypridd, and Edward Bennett, 47, of Station Terrace, Penrhiwceiber, are accused of murdering 43-year-old Mark Jones after he was found in a layby known locally as Lletty Turner Bends on the A4059 in Mountain Ash on July 26 last year.
They have both pleaded not guilty to murder.
Yesterday, a trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard evidence from forensic scientist Katherine Scott, who visited the scene the day after the incident, and has since examined Mr Jones’ clothing as well as CT scans provided to her.
She said 20 pellets were found at the scene, and it was “likely” that two cartridges had been discharged there.
She told the court: “It could not have been a straightforward handgun, it had to be a shotgun.
“We have got two discharges. The likelihood is it is a double barrel shotgun.
“The person who is do- ing this has pressed one trigger to discharge the first and then very quickly has pressed the second.”
The court was also shown images of Mr Jones’ bloodstained clothes he had been wearing at the time, with large rips in his clothing from where the pellets had hit him.
The court heard there was an area of blood stain alongside the damage on the driver’s seat of the car.
Christopher Clee, for the prosecution, said a further 15 cartridges of pellets had also been found in a hat at Stephen Bennett’s home.
According to Ms Scott, the majority of recovered shot pellets from the scene at the layby were British shot size 4, but those taken from Bennett’s home were sizes 6 and 5.
Earlier this week, the jury was also told how Mr Jones, who worked for the HMRC and was described in court as a “drug dealer”, had told police he knew who had shot him but refused to tell them.
At the time of the incident PC Jeff Brimble and PC Maddox attended the scene.
They saw Mr Jones lying on the floor surrounded by people.
PC Brimble said Mr Jones was groaning in pain and described him as “ash” colour.
PC Brimble said: “PC Maddox asked him if he knew who had done this to him. He replied: ‘Yes’.
“PC Maddox asked him: ‘Are you going to tell me?’ He replied: ‘No’.
Witnesses also previously told the trial how they saw a man who they thought had been run over being dragged across the road at the time of the incident.
Julie Morgan was on the way back from visiting her mother-in-law in hospital on July 26, 2015, when she saw a man pulling another male across the road.
She said: “The first thing I saw was somebody being pulled across the road directly opposite the layby .
“A male was pulling another man on to the pavement by both his arms.
“He pulled him across the road on to the pavement and the grass bank. He just let his arms drop and went down to a pathway.”
Mrs Morgan’s husband Alan said he saw the man with his “arms above his head” and being dragged backwards.
Once the man had been dragged on to the pavement, Mr Morgan said the other man let him go and ran off.
The witness said he pulled into the layby and got out of the car and went to see if the man needed any assistance.
He added: “He was lying face up with his eyes open and he was groaning.”
Mr Jones was taken by ambulance to the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil.
He suffered a significant haemorrhage before his arrival and had wounds to his upper left arm and a gaping hole near his abdomen.
He was put under anaesthetic and taken directly to the operating theatre.
The court has heard that Mr Jones died in hospital two months after the shooting, having had 15 operations on his gunshot wounds.
The trial continues.