12 February 2024 , 15:57
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A man charged with murder after body parts were found in a pond allegedly confessed to his friend he'd killed someone and was "going away for a long time".
Lee Clarke is on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court accused of murdering Philip Lewis, who was found in Oakwood Pond, Harlow, Essex. Clarke, 56, allegedly confessed to a woman that he had killed Mr Lewis but he had "got rid of all the evidence" - despite blood splatters being seen in his flat.
Mr Lewis, known locally as "Scottish Phil", went missing and his remains were later found in Oakwood Pond on December 31. Since the initial discovery, another five ponds and reservoirs were searched in the Harlow area, with more remains later being found.
Today, the jury heard evidence from a witness, who knew both Mr Lewis and the defendant. In the police interview played to the jury, the witness shared how Clarke had allegedly told them he had "been through some s**t" and eventually said he had killed someone. They said they had also visited Clarke's flat in Harlow in the days before his arrest and had noticed cleaning equipment in the living room, and blood splatters on the wall near his bed.
Officers at the scene in Essex (East Anglia News Service)The witness said: "When we had the snow just before Christmas, I was up and down and Lee came over to me and was sitting on the floor. I was going through a lot of s**t at the time, he asked what was wrong with me and I said I've got a lot of s**t going on. He said 'you don't know what s**t is'.
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"He said 'I've got a lot of s**t going on, I'm going to go to prison for a very long time'. He said it doesn't matter, 'I don't think I'm going to get caught anyway because I got rid of the evidence'. He said everything he was wearing when it happened he burnt and got rid of it.
"I was thinking it was an armed robbery. He went quiet and then he just came out with it and said that he killed someone. When I heard that I was shocked." The witness said that Clarke was "a bit of a bulls**t" once he had taken cocaine and that he "likes to run his mouth", so they wasn't sure to take him seriously."
Oakwood Pond was drained after the body parts were found (Harlow Council)The witness said that the victim, Mr Lewis, was "kind and generous" and that he "always looked out for you". They described Clarke as "a bit of a bully" who "thinks he can intimidate people", and would regularly deal drugs in Harlow. They shared how they had visited Clarke's flat the day before his arrest and had seen cleaning products in the living room.
They said: "It looked like it has just been decorated but still stunk. It didn't look like it had been cleaned. It smelt horrible up there. The walls looked clean but everything else didn't. Where the bed is, right up behind the header there was blood splatters all over the wall. I said 'what's this' and he said he tried to slash his wrists.
"That was the night he got arrested. It was quite prominent, the blood, you would see it as soon as you walked in." Clarke denies murder, the trial continues.