Man ‘stabbed love rival 30 times and set fire to his body’
A MAN stabbed a love rival 30 times and burnt his body in a revenge attack, a court heard.
Alan Maidment, 40, is on trial accused of murdering Thomas Eugene Jones, the new partner of his former girlfriend, in the victim’s Salford flat at about midnight on March 22.
Mr Maidment charge.
The prosecution alleges that Mr Maidment repeatedly stabbed Mr Jones, 47, in the kitchen of his home in Berry Street, Clifton, before dragging him into the living room and setting the body on fire.
Mr Maidment is said to have later returned to the scene with a bottle of petrol, after the emergency services had arrived.
The prosecution say he did this to be certain that the fire had taken hold.
More than a week after the incident, Mr Maidment is said to have been ‘fearful’ that the police were catching up with him.
The jury was told that Mr Maidment committed a number of robberies on passengers at the South Chadderton Metrolink stop in denies the Oldham, on March 30, while high on drink and drugs.
The following day Mr Maidment handed himself in and told officers he had committed a murder and some robberies in Chadderton, the prosecution said.
Mr Maidment now says he told a ‘series of complex lies’ during his police interview to cover for the real killer.
He says his knowledge of the incident came after someone else told him about it.
The prosecution say that his initial confession was ‘genuine,’ and noted that he gave detailed explanations before he was told about the evidence which police had collected.
The court heard that Mr Maidment was wearing two layers of clothing during the alleged murder and he later dumped one set of garments in the canal.
He is also said to have cleaned the murder weapon and disposed of it.
Mr Maidment is also accused of taking the victim’s phone and throwing it nearby, hoping someone would take it and lay a false trail. The Crown say that Mr Maidment’s motivation for the alleged murder was to ‘punish’ Mr Jones for allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend of both men, Natalie Strickland.
Mr Maidment ‘didn’t much care for’ Mr Jones, prosecutor Michelle Colborne QC said.
He acted in ‘revenge’ after hearing of what had apparently happened to Ms Strickland, who it was said he still occasionally had sex with despite splitting up earlier in the year.
The court was told that Mr Jones was arrested by police in connection with the alleged assault, but was released after Ms Strickland stated she did not wish to press charges.
Mr Jones had accused Ms Strickland, who he had an on-off sexual relationship with while living in separate rooms of his flat in Clifton, of sleeping with other men.
Mr Maidment, of Ludlow Avenue, Salford, denies murder.
Proceeding