Liverpool drugs boss 'did not know' Rhyl man Mark Mason had been stabbed

A self confessed drugs boss who denies murdering Mark Mason told a jury that he did not know the dad-of-two had been stabbed.

Liverpool man Anthony Baines claimed he had not wished Mr Mason any harm and had no idea he had been stabbed until he was driving away from the scene, Mold Crown Court heard.

The Rhyl man was stabbed while sitting in the passenger seat of a white van in the car park of Home Bargains in Rhyl in October of last year.

Baines, 31, of Sutcliffe Street, James Davies, 21, of Moscow Drive, Liverpool; and Mark Ennis, 31, of Bedford Road, Liverpool, deny the murder of Mark Mason and maliciously wounding Justin Trickett and Sam Illidge with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Both Trickett and Illidge ran from the van after being stabbed and refused to make complaints.

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

The prosecution say that Mr Mason was killed when a drugs turf war erupted in Rhyl between rival supply gangs..

Giving evidence, Baines said he had delivered drugs to Rhyl on the day of the attack and returned to Liverpool.

He said it was always intended that he would return to Rhyl that evening to pick up Davies and Melia and he drove back to the resort with Ennis in the passenger seat.

Baines said that he became aware of an earlier incident at The Cob and he said he had wanted to have words with Mr Mason.

He denied searching for his van in Rhyl, said they came across the van by accident and then followed it into the Home Bargains car park.

He and the others got out but he did not see what was happening at the passenger side of the van where Mr Mason was sitting.

“There was just loads of banging and shouting,” he said.

Melia was at the driver’s door, which was open, and he was trying to pull the driver out of the van.

Baines said he tried to pull the driver out but unable to do so.

When he stepped back the driver ran off and Melia chased him.

It was only as he was driving away that he became aware that Mr Mason had been stabbed.

“Melia said he stabbed him. I s*** myself to be honest. I gave him verbals. I basically asked what do you mean and he said that he had stabbed Mr Mason.”

Baines said he was screaming at Melia, “giving him loads” and shouted at him “what the f… have you done”.

Asked by John McDermott, defending, what his intention was, he said it was to confront Mr Mason and see if he was involved in the earlier incident. But he did not have violence in mind and did not arm himself with any weapon.

Schoolboy heard shouts of ‘I’ve stabbed the b*****d’ from Rhyl Home Bargains car park

At no stage had he seen a weapon. No one mentioned a weapon, and there was no talk of knives.

He had abandoned his vehicle in Norris Green , Liverpool and did not know what had happened to it.

“It was basically just a fight that went t**s up,” he told police, when interviewed.

In evidence, he said if wanted to find Mr Mason and be seriously violent towards him would not have gone to Home Bargains car park.

Asked if he wanted Mr Mason dead or seriously injured, he replied no.

Mr McDermott asked him: “Did you have anything to do with seriously injuring him?”

He replied no.

The case continues.