Fourth man caused fatal injuries, accused tells murder trial
A RAPPER accused of murdering a man in his flat with a Kopparberg bottle has told jurors a “fourth man” was responsible for causing the fatal injuries.
Euan Peters, 42, is charged with the murder of Shafiul Islam, 22, who was found unconscious and blood stained at his Newport flat on November 14, 2019.
The victim died six days later at the Royal Gwent Hospital in the city, having suffered a “devastating” brain injury.
While Peters is accused of using the cider bottle to hit Mr Islam, known as Chilly, on the head, Conlan Dunnion, 23, is accused of letting Peters into Mr Islam’s flat and Perrie Dunwell, 33, is accused of arranging the attack and driving his codefendants away from the flat in Tewkesbury Walk.
All three defendants deny murder. Dunnion, of Maesglas Avenue, Newport, and Dunwell, of Cold Mill Road, Newport, have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to rob, but Peters has pleaded guilty to that charge.
Giving evidence at a trial at Newport Crown Court yesterday, Peters told the jury he entered Mr Islam’s flat with another man called David Allen, Dunwell’s brother, whom he claimed attacked the victim.
The trial earlier heard that Mr Allen was arrested on suspicion of Mr Islam’s murder on March 5, 2020.
He gave a prepared statement, which read: “I have no knowledge or involvement in the death of Shafiul Islam.” He was later released without charge.
Peters, who was born Aloysius Sax Alfonso Coke, said he had travelled to Newport from his home in Dros-y-Morfa, Rumney, Cardiff, to record a podcast about rap artists but after the recording he was picked up by Dunwell in a Volkswagen Scirocco.
They travelled to the Tawa Indian restaurant, in Spytty, where the defendant was seen carrying a Kopparberg bottle on CCTV.
When questioned by his barrister, Patrick Harrington QC, Peters said he and Dunwell began looking for someone who owed a debt to the latter.
He said: “When we got back to Pill they said he had gone to his girl’s house so something else came up.”
Mr Harrington said: “What was that something else?”
The defendant said: “Someone else owed money, to Perrie.
“We went back to the frontline, that’s where we picked up his brother. David. We picked up in the Kwik Save car park. When his brother came I jumped in the back.”
The court heard the trio drove to Tewkesbury Walk in Shaftesbury, where Peters said he and Mr Allen left the car.
He said: “I was led to the building. I didn’t know where I was going.
“David went before me, he knew where the flat was. The door was knocked and the victim Chilly opened.”
The defendant said he had never seen Mr Islam before and didn’t know him.
He added: “I think David knocked the door, it was answered in seconds. I think I went in first because I basically restrained him, Chilly, I held his dressing gown.
“I held him so David could look for this money, he looked for two minutes, couldn’t find anything, so we swapped.
“Then he got the victim in the front room, in the living-room. I heard something break but I didn’t think nothing of it. When I came into the room he was standing there with a baseball bat, David.
“I found money in the front room, in the kitchen and a bag in the bedroom. I just put it all in my pocket, there was a couple of grand. David found money and he gave it to me.
“I saw him hit (Mr Islam) but that was on the torso of his body, I didn’t see him hit on the head. I heard something break and when I came back into the front room there was a broken glass and a cut on his face.
“I carried on searching for a couple of minutes. I left first, when I left, apart from the blood dripping down the side of his face, that boy was living.”
Mr Harrington said: “Did you inflict any injury?”
Peters said: “Not at all, I didn’t need to.”
The defendant left the address but claimed Mr Allen stayed in the flat for a minute longer before meeting up with him in the white Scirocco. He said he handed over the money to Dunwell, who then gave money to the people in the car, including Peters, Dunnion and Mr Allen. He then took a taxi back to his home.
The defendant said he learned from Dunwell days later that Mr Islam had been badly injured and after his arrest he was told that Mr Islam had died.
Mr Harrington said: “Did you personally become involved in the death of Mr Islam?”
Peters said: “I most definitely did not.” The trial continues.