Man 'threatened at knifepoint to clean up murder'

A man accused of cleaning up a murder scene where the victim had been mutilated and stabbed to death has told a jury he was threatened at knifepoint next to the body.

Ciprian Ilie, 45, feared he would be killed if he did not help to dispose of Cumali Turhan's body at Barista bar, Chelmsford, on 19 November.

He told Chelmsford Crown Court that a threat was made by Ceyhan Dinler, who police believe murdered love rival Mr Turhan, 45, before fleeing to Turkey.

Mr Ilie denies assisting Mr Dinler and preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body.

Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions which some people may find upsetting

It has been alleged that an enraged Mr Dinler stabbed Mr Turhan in the neck after hearing he "had a relationship with Mr Dinler's girlfriend".

Police found Mr Turhan's "severed penis and severed tip of his tongue" in a bin inside Barista in Duke Street, jurors have been told.

Mr Ilie, a homeless Romanian national who did odd jobs for Mr Dinler, said he was called to Barista at 02:00 GMT on 19 November.

"I did not expect what I saw," he told the jury. "Everywhere [Mr Dinler] was covered in blood.

"Initially, I thought it was wine; it didn't really cross my mind it could be blood, so much blood."

Mr Ilie said he spotted more blood on the floor and the walls, before he noticed "a foot under the table" attached to Mr Turhan's dead body.

The 45-year-old said he was "so shocked" and considered running, but alleged Mr Dinler held him at knifepoint and said: "If you don't help me, I'll kill you and [your girlfriend]".

Mr Ilie continued: "I thought I would die there. I had thousands of thoughts in my mind in that moment.

"To protect myself, I decided to stay. I was really, really scared.

"I asked Cey what happened, and he said, 'don't worry, he deserved it'. It was something between his wife and [Mr Turhan]."

Asked by Michael Edmonds, defending, what he thought when he saw Mr Turhan's body, Mr Ilie said: "It was a body covered in so much blood.

"Probably all the blood we have inside us as a human being was out. I knew for sure he was dead."

Prosecutors have told the trial that Mr Ilie then helped to put Mr Turhan's body in a bin and brought Mr Dinler clean clothes.

The defendant has not yet responded to this from the witness box.

Police officers searched 80 tonnes of landfill in Stanway, near Colchester, before finding Mr Turhan's body on 12 January.

The trial continues.

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