‘Loyal’ friend tells trial ‘I acted cowardly’

AMAN who left his “loyal” friend to die after being beaten at a Cornish beauty spot told a jury he acted “cowardly”.

Alexander ‘Billy’ Humphries, 27, struggled at times to retain his composure as he answered questions from the witness box at Plymouth Crown Court about the night of March 26, 2020, at Kit Hill in Callington.

The trial has seen Andrew Hatrey, 38, and Kristian Humphries, 30, of Callington and Gunnislake respectively, jointly charged with the murder of 22-year-old Callum Hill, from Plymouth.

Billy Humphries, 27, from Callington, is charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent against Hatrey, on the same day.

Hatrey, Kristian Humphries, Alexander ‘Billy’ Humphries and Daniel Humphries, 24, from Callington, are all also charged with conspiracy to commit violent disorder on March 26, 2020.

All four men deny all the charges. Prosecutors say that a prearranged fight at the Cornish beauty spot ended with two men suffering serious injuries and one man – Callum Hill – suffering fatal injuries. He died a couple of days later in Derriford Hospital. Two others were said to have fled the scene but later gave themselves up to police.

The jury have been told that Hatrey pushed for the fight, which he dubbed a “straightener”, with Billy Humphries.

Hatrey has claimed that the fight was to settle an issue relating to a £2,000 drug debt, accusing Billy Humphries of being a dealer and demanding the money after Hatrey took the drugs off another man he claimed worked for him.

Billy Humphries told the jury he was not a drug dealer, the drugs were not his and that Hatrey wanted to fight in response to some alleged slur Humphries had made against him. Billy Humphries has confirmed in court that he deliberately drove at Hatrey and Kristian Humphries, “accelerating as he approached Hatrey.

Billy Humphries told jurors he did not try to hide the damaged Renault Megane left in a country lane, three miles from Kit Hill car park, saying he just wanted to “get out of the situation”. But he admitted that he had “dealt with the situation completely wrong.”“I acted cowardly,” he told the court. The trial continues.