Man who admits murdering Mark Mason in Rhyl bragged “we got him good”, court hears

A man who admitted murdering a father-of-two in a knife attack later said “we got him good”, a murder trial jury was told today.

Jake Melia, 21, of Eastbourne Road, Liverpool, has admitted murdering Mark Mason in Rhyl.

But James Davies, 21, of Moscow Drive, Liverpool, Anthony Baines, 31, of Sutcliffe Street, Liverpool, and Mark Ennis, 31, of Bedford Road, Liverpool, all alleged members of the same gang, deny murder and maliciously wounding Justin Trickett and Sam Illidge with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and are on trial at Mold Crown Court.

Prosecution witness Stephen John Jones, 43, said the attack in the car park of Home Bargains last October was in retaliation after it was believed Mark Mason and another had set upon two of a rival gang while they were drug dealing at The Cob in the resort.

Mr Jones said he saw Melia and Davies with knives leaving a flat to get revenge after they came under attack themselves earlier that day.

Mr Jones, 43, originally from Wrexham, had been staying at a woman’s flat in Wellington Road, known as a ‘safe house’ which The Pensarn Boys used to supply class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine.

Giving evidence via a live television link at Mold Crown Court he said he sold drugs himself and also for the Pensarn Boys, which involved six or seven people.

Jones said when he himself was selling drugs, he could bring in £1,700 to 2,500, “a bit more on a good day.”

Mark Mason used drugs and was involved in selling – he worked for another gang, Mark’s lot or Jay’s lot. He would be in a white Renault Kango van with someone driving him around.

The day before he died, Mason had asked him if the Pensarn Boys would be working at The Cob the following day. He told him they probably would be and asked why?

Mason replied: “Cos they will not be there for long.” He had said he was going to “do them in”.

“I told the lads I was working for that there might be a bit of trouble the next day. I was working for the Pensarn lads and I didn’t want to see them get done in. They were quite blaze about it really, not that concerned, like it was an unfounded threat. They just sort of laughed it off. I was more concerned about it.”

Davies and Melia went out to sell drugs at The Cob, they left carrying fishing rods with them, which the prosecution say was a cover.

When they returned to the flat, Jones said he knew something had happened.

Their clothes were soaking wet and muddy. They said they had been in the river – they had been attacked by two guys in balaclavas and machetes and knives.“I don’t think they were injured. They were quite animated, seemed a bit shook up. They thought it was Mason,” he said.

They spoke to others on the phone and left with a knife each.

“I was going to go with them to help them – but I was not planning on murdering someone. I did not go – they said that they had it under control.

“I though they may have gone to get money or drugs off him.”

After the attack, Jones said he was asked to take money and personal belongings from the safe house in Wellington Road.

He saw them on a cycle path between Towyn and Pensarn – they were with Baines and Ennis.

Jones alleged James Davies said he had cut Mark up, he had slashed his face.

“He said he had given him one for me,” said Jones, which may have related to previous incidents where Jones thought he had been set up.

Jake Melia said something like “we got him good.”

He did not see any of them after that time, or speak to them.

Cross examined, Jones said that he agreed that Ste, Anthony Baines, was not the sort to take retribution even when people had ripped him off. That was why he was very surprised at what had happened, he said.

Baines, the jury heard, accepted he was Jones’ boss at the time and a drug dealer in Rhyl.

Proceeding.