Jury retires in Christmas Day murder trial

The jury in the trial of a teenager accused of murdering a man at his home on Christmas Day 2024 has retired to consider its verdict.

Billy McNicholl, 63, was discovered with serious head injuries and a stab wound to his right shoulder at his Ipswich home on New Year's Day last year.

Jake McMillan, 18, of Peterhouse Close in the Chantry area of the town, denies murder.

At Ipswich Crown Court, jury members were sent out by Judge Samantha Leigh and they are due to return on Thursday.

During the two-week trial, the court heard the defendant knew McNicholl because he supplied the dead man with drugs.

On Christmas Day, he had gone to the house, on Hawthorn Drive, on his dad's electric bike.

He was there between 15:15 and 17:15 GMT, during which time the prosecution has said he attacked McNicholl in his sitting room and left him for dead.

McNicholl, who lived alone with his Staffordshire bull terrier Leo, was found lying face down on the floor by police at 18:00 on 1 January last year.

Neighbours called the force after hearing the dog howling.

The defendant was arrested on suspicion of murder on 22 January 2024 and told officers that he knew nothing about McNicholl's death, but, when he was detained again on 21 July, he admitted being at the property.

McMillan said that he had gone to the victim's home to collect his rucksack, which contained cocaine, before finding him dead on the floor.

The court heard he provided no explanation when quizzed by officers about why he stayed at the home for two hours, but he denied any involvement.

"I did not kill Mr McNicholl and I had no involvement in his murder," he told the court while being questioned by defence barrister Gillian Jones KC.

"There was no incident [between us on the day]. I found Billy dead, but I have no idea who killed him."

Jurors were told finger and palm prints belonging to McMillan were found at the scene.

Forensics found footprints in blood around McNicholl's body and on his top and back, which the prosecution said were made by the soles of a pair of black Nike Air Force 1 trainers.

The court heard how, upon returning to his home, where he lived with his parents and siblings, McMillan changed his clothing and threw away his trainers in a bin.

He said this was because he was going out to meet friends and wanted to wear his "new clothes".

"There was no blood on my clothes, but I changed my black shoes to my white Air Force 1s because they had blood on them, on the bottom," he said.

"I put them at the bottom of the stairs and then I threw them away some time that week."

The trainers worn by McMillan at the time - and the knife suspected to have been used to stab McNicholl - have never been found.

Simon Spence KC, prosecuting, said he believed the defendant disposed of the black trainers as he was concerned that they could be used as evidence against him.

While this was disputed by McMillan, he did admit to taking and throwing three of McNicholl's phones in the River Orwell near the Sir Bobby Robson Bridge in the centre of Ipswich, after finding him dead.

He said he wanted to "destroy them" because they contained messages relating to him supplying drugs.

The defendant said he did not tell his parents what he had seen because he was "worried" they would call police.

"I thought I would be arrested," he added.

When asked by Ms Jones KC what he would have done differently in retrospect, he said: "I would have reported it."

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