Court told alleged victim had bag of drugs and bullets
ONE of two men accused of attempted murder told jurors the alleged victim handed him a bag containing cannabis and bullets.
Keiron Hassan, 32, and Kamal Legall, 26, are standing trial at Newport Crown Court accused of carrying out the attack and attempting to murder Taylor Patterson. Both men deny the charges against them.
Mr Patterson, 22, was slashed with a machete and shot by two men wearing masks outside a Lifestyle Express shop in Harris Avenue, Rumney on April 13, in what the prosecution argues was a “murderous attack”. He sustained serious injuries, including wounds to his neck, but his life was saved by paramedics and surgeons who operated on him.
Legall, who also denies failing to provide a key to protected information, gave evidence led by his defence representative Kevin Seal yesterday.
The defendant told the court he bought cannabis from Mr Patterson, whom he said he knew as “T Dog”, on more than one occasion prior to the events of April 13.
Legall said he would normally purchase an ounce of cannabis for £200, which would last him up to two weeks depending on his usage, and would meet Mr Patterson at various locations in Cardiff.
The defendant was asked about the last time he remembered meeting up with Mr Patterson to buy cannabis before the day in question.
“He was on about a Shannon girl and he had asked me directly are you having sex with Shannon,” he said
Mr Seal asked: “Did you know who she was supposed to be?”
Legall answered: “No, I could only assume it was his girlfriend or his partner.”
Legall said Mr Patterson arrived in a black car and handed him a rucksack.
“He pulled up, wound down his window and he passed a rucksack out of the window and he said to me pick one,” he said. “I looked in the bag and there was some weed bags. I saw bullets in there. I took a bullet out and said what’s this about?”
Legall said Mr Patterson answered “so no-one f***s with me”.
“I put it back in the bag,” Legall said. “I took one bag of weed.”
On April 13, Legall said he met up with another unknown person to purchase an ounce of cannabis, for which he paid £200.
He said he spoke to the person for a period of time, smoked some cannabis with him, and then went to Keiron Hassan’s partner’s house where he waited “a long time” for Hassan outside. Legall said Hassan eventually arrived.
Legall said Hassan told him his partner wasn’t in and the pair began to make their way to Hassan’s sister’s address nearby.
On the way, he said they came across a Nissan Pathfinder driven by a man named “Paddy”. They both got in, he said, with Hassan taking the driver’s seat. Legall said Hassan told him he was test driving the vehicle to see if he wanted to buy it.
The defendant told the court before he entered the vehicle he had to move items on the seat to adjust the one in front.
Legall said he knew nothing about a £30,000 watch which prosecutors allege was the motivation behind the attack, and told the court he was not in the area at the time Mr Patterson was attacked.
Under cross examination, Christopher Rees QC asked Legall if he had “invented” the story about Mr Patterson selling him cannabis to explain how his DNA was discovered on a shotgun cartridge at the scene.
“No,” he responded.
Mr Rees asked the defendant about a piece of blue latex glove that was found inside the Nissan Pathfinder which was also linked to him via DNA analysis.
“When I got in I swept everything across the seat to move the seat forward because obviously it was too far back,” he said.
“But I couldn’t say that’s when I would have touched that. I didn’t see the gloves. I don’t know I can only make an assumption.”
Previously, Hassan said in his defence that had never met Mr Patterson – but had spoken to him over social media.
Hassan, of Grand Avenue, Ely, and Legall, of Tatem Drive, Fairwater, both deny attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and possessing a sawn-off shotgun without authority. Legall also denies failing to provide a key to protected information.
The trial continues.