Lewes murder trial: Police body-cam footage shown to jury

The eight-minute video clip showed officers knocking on the door of Nicola Stevenson’s flat in Stansfield Road, Lewes, on November 13, last year, the day after her body was found in a wheelie bin in undergrowth on the edge of the recreation ground off Landport Road, Lewes.

Police are seen knocking and shouting through the letterbox multiple times but there is no answer.

The officers then use an enforcer to gain entry to the flat before Richard Canlin, the man accused of killing Nicola, is heard speaking.

In the video, police are seen making their way into the flat and arresting Canlin on suspicion of murder, who is heard saying: “You having a laugh.”

‘I ain’t killed nobody’

A statement from a police officer called Robert Gregory was also read out to the jury and heard how Canlin was in the corridor of the flat when police gained entry.

PC Gregory said when Canlin is put in handcuffs and taken outside the property, he tells him and other officers: “I ain’t killed nobody.”

PC Gregory said while Canlin was outside, he told him and the other officers: “This is ridiculous, I’ve not killed nobody.” He also tells the officers that Nicola ‘went away for a few months’, PC Gregory said.

While in the police car on the way to the station, PC Gregory said Canlin told him and the other officers that he has a mental age of six. He also said another man called John Parish ‘has got more to do with it’.

‘Good friend’

The court earlier heard evidence from John Parish, who Canlin claims was the one who killed Nicola.

Police did arrest Mr Parish on suspicion of her murder, alongside Canlin, but there was no evidence connecting him with murder, the court heard.

The court heard that Mr Parish met Nicola last August in Eastbourne when he was homeless. She was with Canlin, he told the court.

He and Nicola became friends, he said. He told the court: “She was alright - a nice, cheeky girl, she was a good friend of mine.”

Mr Parish told the court that Nicola wanted to be more than friends, but he did not want this. He said she asked him to move into her flat to be her carer so he could get carers allowance. Mr Parish said he took up the offer as it ‘seemed a good thing at the time’.

The court heard that Mr Parish, Nicola and Canlin struggled with drug abuse. When asked by Caroline Carberry QC, prosecuting, if he ever saw Canlin take drugs, he replied: “Yes, crack and heroin.”

He told the court that he took drugs with both Nicola and Canlin. When asked if he got on with Canlin, he replied: “No - we never really got along. He was not an honest person, things would go missing - tobacco, food, money, all sorts of things.”

The court heard that Mr Parish was on Universal Credit and would lend money to Canlin, who would ‘sometimes pay him back’.

The pair had a few arguments, Mr Parish told the court, about the state of the house and things going missing. He said these arguments were always verbal, never physical.

Arguments

Mr Parish told the court that Nicola was not happy with Canlin and would try and get him to leave. She would make appointments for him to go to hostels or get housed with the council but he would not engage with anything, he said.

Nicola and Canlin would have loud, intense verbal arguments about money and the state of the lounge, where Canlin slept, Mr Parish told the court. He said the plan was for him to move into Nicola’s flat to become her carer and get carers allowance and ‘get Canlin out’ - but this never happened.

Mr Parish told the court that he only stayed at the flat for two weeks, with his dog, Red. He said he decided to leave because Nicola wanted to be in a relationship and he did not want this. He also said ‘things were going south for them because they were using drugs’.

When asked by Ms Carberry if Nicola was happy about him leaving, he replied: “No, she would argue with me. It was Nikki being Nikki - she would swear, shout, she took my phone.”

‘Controlling’

Mr Parish told the court that Nicola was controlling and he did not like that and that is why he left. He said when he left the flat he argued with Nicola about getting his phone back, but she said no and called the police.

Mr Parish said Nicola called the police and made accusations that he was threatening her and ‘making trouble’, but he told the court he just wanted his phone back. He said he left when the police arrived.

Mr Parish told the court he returned to the flat the following morning to get his phone back, but Nicola said no and told him to ‘go away’.

He said this was the last time he saw both Nicola and Canlin. He told the court he went to live in Eastbourne with a friend and returned to Lewes around November 8-9, after the bonfire celebrations.

When asked by Ms Carberry if he had any involvement in Nicola’s death, he replied: “No.”

Jeremy Wainwright QC, defending, asked Mr Parish if he ever threatened Canlin with a knife or cut him with a knife, to which he replied: ‘No’.

He also asked if he was ever violent with Nicola, to which Mr Parish also replied ‘no’.

Mr Wainwright then said: “You grabbed her by the throat didn’t you?

Mr Parish replied: “No, I didn’t.”

Mr Wainwright told Mr Parish: “You put your forearm forcefully against her throat, using so much force you were lifting her off ground?”

Mr Parish replied: “No.”

Mr Wainwright asked Mr Parish if he ever threatened Canlin that he ‘would be dead’ as a result of an argument they had. Mr Parish said no.

He then asked Mr Parish if he ever threatened Nicola that ‘she be dead’, to which Mr Parish also replied, no.

Mr Wainwright asked Mr Parish if he went back to Nicola’s flat in October, to which he replied: “No.”

Mr Wainwright told Mr Parish: “You went back there because you were angry about money owed to you, that she kept your phone and you had an argument with her.”

Mr Parish replied: “No, I had not been back there.”

Mr Wainwright then said: “You were in the flat with Nicola and Canlin in October and an argument happened about drugs and payment. You grabbed Nicola around the neck and punched her. “

Mr Parish replied: “No.”

Mr Wainwright asked Mr Parish if he was ever aware that a hammer was kept under a couch in Nicola’s flat. Mr Parish said no.

Mr Wainwright said: “Nicola took the hammer out and threatened you with it.”

Mr Parish replied: “No.”

Mr Wainwright then said: “And your response was to take the hammer off her and strike her head several times.”

Mr Parish replied: “No.”

Mr Wainwright said: “Canlin tried to stop you and grabbed the hammer.”

Mr Parish replied with ‘no’ again.

Mr Wainwright then said: “When it was clear that you killed her, you then disposed of her body, threatening Canlin that he would be in trouble if he reported it to anybody.”

Mr Parish replied: “No.”

Mr Wainwright said: “You thought he [Canlin] was a simple man and hadn’t always got along with Nicola, so he could take the blame for what you had done.”

Mr Parish replied with ‘no’ again.

Post-mortem

The court also heard from Dr Charlotte Randall, a consultant forensic pathologist. She told the court via video link that a post-mortem examination found that Nicola died of a blunt force trauma to her head. She also said there was evidence her neck could have been forcefully grabbed, resulting in unconsciousness.

Nicola’s injuries demonstrated a severe degree of force, Mr Randall told the court.

Canlin denies murder.

The trial at Hove Crown Court continues.