Defendant recalled to give evidence in Mark Mason murder trial

A defendant in the Mark Mason murder trial has been questioned the prosecution why a knife was discovered taped under his girlfriend’s coffee table.

Drug dealer James Davies, 21, was called back to give evidence in the murder trial of 48 year-old Mark Mason who died in Rhyl last October.

Mr Mason was stabbed 22 times in Home Bargains’ car park amid an alleged drug turf war.

Paul Lewis QC, prosecuting, questioned Davies about the knife that he admits he had in his possession at the time of the murder.

Davies said he used it to bang on the window of the car Mr Mason was a passenger in but denies it was used in the attack.

Mr Lewis asked Davies’ where his knife, which he said he used for fishing, had been left and subsequently found by police .

He said: “Did you tell your girlfriend you had been in a bit of an incident? Did you tell her there had been a murder? Did you tell your mother?

“Did you tell anybody?”

Davies answered no to each question.

He had previously told the court he had used the knife to carve a pumpkin upstairs in his girlfriend’s house.

“You calmly sat down with your girlfriend and whittled a pumpkin. Had you forgotten about what had happened (in Rhyl)?” asked Mr Lewis.

“No,” replied Davies.

Under further questioning Davies said he had left the knife on a coffee table at his girlfriend’s house and could not explain how they had been found taped under the table, after a police search of his girlfriend’s mother’s house in Cheshire.

“Do they tape knives under the tables?” asked Mr Lewis.

“That’s the first time I have heard of anything,” replied Davies.

“Somebody – without you telling anyone about it – taped that knife under the table in your girlfriend’s house,” continued Mr Lewis.

“Somebody unbeknown to you had taped a knife under the coffee table?”

“Yes,” replied Davies.

Forensic tests found no evidence the knives had been used in the attack on Mr Mason.

Davies, 21, of Moscow Drive, Liverpool; Anthony Baines, 31, of Sutcliffe Street, Liverpool, and Mark Ennis, 31, of Bedford Road, Liverpool, deny murdering Mr Mason and maliciously wounding Justin Trickett and Sam Illidge with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on October 27 last year.

Jake Melia, 21, of Eastbourne Road, Liverpool, has admitted all three charges.

The trial continues.