Man accused of helping cover up alleged murder
A70-YEAR-OLD man accused of helping his neighbour cover up an alleged murder said ‘it’s my job to look after him’, jurors heard.
Martin McBrine, 44, is on trial accused of murdering Lee McConnell at the defendant’s house in Palatine Street, Firgrove, Rochdale.
His neighbour, Harry Mee, 70, is also on trial accused of assisting an offender.
Mr Mee is alleged to have tried to move Mr McConnell’s body, cleaned the scene and told his partner’s daughter to ‘keep your mouth shut’.
Manchester Crown Court heard that 49-yearold Mr McConnell, described as a ‘chronic alcoholic’, died after suffering ‘catastrophic abdominal injuries’, which prosecutors say he sustained by being stamped on or kicked.
Mr McBrine is expected to say he was acting in self-defence.
On the first day of the trial, Paul Reid QC told jurors that Mr McBrine and Mr Mee are friends and have known each other for ‘many years’, living on the same street at the end of a cul-de-sac.
On the day Mr McConnell died, Mr McBrine had been to a shop with Mr McConnell and another man to buy alcohol.
The trio came back to Mr McBrine’s house, and they also met Joanne Brogan, Mr Mee’s partner’s daughter.
Mr McBrine invited her to join them at his house for a game of darts.
Later, the guests left, and from 8.27pm to 9.19pm, on Saturday, August 11, 2018, Mr McBrine and Mr McConnell were the only ones in the house.
Prosecutors allege that during this time, Mr McConnell was murdered by Mr McBrine.
Shortly after, Mr McBrine left his home and went next door to Mr Mee’s home.
There he is alleged to have said he ‘had done it again’, that he had ‘let some reprobates into his house’.
He said one person had fallen asleep, and the other wouldn’t leave. The prosecution told the jury this was ‘untrue’.
Mr Mee later went round to Mr McBrine’s house.
His partner, Joan Bro- gan, followed him later and returned shortly after.
Prosecutors said she sat with her ‘head in her hands’ repeating the words ‘oh God, oh God’.
After being asked if Mr McConnell was okay, she said: “Not well, I don’t know if I should ring an ambulance or the police.”
Mr Mee returned home, with his hair said to be wet ‘as if it has been washed’, and ‘puffing and panting’.
He allegedly said: “If anyone comes to the door, I’ll answer.
“Martin is f ***** , keep your mouth shut or they will send that boy away for a long time.
“It’s my job to look after him.
“If he doesn’t stick to what I said and keep his mouth shut he will be on a manslaughter charge and drop me in it.”
When asked if Mr McConnell was okay, he is said to have replied: “He’s a f ****** corpse, what do you mean is he okay?”
Asked if he was dead, Mr Mee is alleged to have said: “I’ve seen enough corpses to know.”
Prosecutors say Mr McBrine was ‘remarkably composed’ during a 999 call in which he told operators a man was dead in his kitchen.
He told the call handler he didn’t know who the man was, but that he had earlier had a drink and a game of darts with him.
Mr McBrine told the operator that the man had been in a fight, and said there was ‘no point’ in trying to resuscitate him.
Police and paramedics arrived, and Mr McConnell was pronounced dead at 10.35pm.
Officers were met with Mr McBrine sitting on a bed, ‘apparently relaxed’ and rolling a cigarette.
On being arrested on suspicion of murder, he allegedly said ‘I haven’t murdered anybody’, and ‘I haven’t done anything wrong’.
He later said: “I know he’s called Lee. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him tonight.”
He added: “I was just having a good drink and a good laugh, I didn’t know that was going on. He wouldn’t shut up at all.”
When officers spoke to Joanne Brogan, Mr Mee is alleged to have stood behind the officer and made ‘hand gestures across his throat’ aimed at her, so she wouldn’t speak to the officer.
Mr Mee is alleged to have said that he and Mr McBrine considered trying to drag Mr McConnell into the middle of the road ‘to make it look like he had been run over’.
He is also alleged to have told Joanne Brogan: “You c***, you don’t keep your mouth shut or I’m gonna go down.”
A post-mortem examination found that Mr McConnell suffered ‘catastrophic’ abdominal injuries, facial injuries, fractured ribs and bruising.
Originally Mr McBrine said he had been asleep while Mr McConnell was attacked.
But prosecutors said he had ‘recently changed’ his defence, now stating he was acting in self-defence.
Mr McBrine, of Palatine Street, Rochdale, denies murder.
Mr Mee, also of Palatine Street, denies assisting an offender.