Suspect in murder ‘ran
A SUSPECT in the Stephen Lawrence murder fled to Spain after his home was raided by police hunting a multimillion pound drugs ring, a court has heard.
After the raid, Jamie Acourt spoke by phone to a detective who told him to come back to his house or turn himself in. Instead he “did neither” and went on the run for two years, it was alleged.
Acourt is said to have been one of the ringleaders of a plot to supply huge quantities of cannabis which left “delivery men” facing the biggest risk of being caught.
Acourt, 42, was extradited to stand trial from Spain, where he had allegedly been living under the alias of Simon Alfonzo. He was arrested last May as he left a gym in Barcelona
Jurors were warned before the hearing began at Kingston Crown Court that he was never convicted over the racist attack on teenager Stephen Lawrence in Eltham, southeast London in 1993.
The court was told police had raided Acourt’s home in nearby Bexley, where he and partner Terri-Ann Dean lived with their two children.
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett, QC, said Ms Dean came home, rang Acourt and passed the phone to an officer, who told him to return or hand himself in to a police station. Mr Aylett said: “The defendant did neither of those things. Instead, he went to Spain, where he remained for over two years.”
The prosecutor said Acourt was integral to a “long-running conspiracy to supply huge quantities” of hashish between London and South Shields, for which his brother Neil, 43, has already been convicted.
He went on: “Since the delivery men were taking most of the risks and the defendant and his brother were receiving the money, the prosecution allege the defendant and his brother must have been the ringleaders.” The