Sobbing Leeds tower-block murder accused denies killing and tells court: 'He was my pal'
He told court he would go out stealing to pay for drugs for both of them
A man accused of murdering his friend on New Year’s Day and then dragging and dumping his body in the street broke down and told the jury: “He was my mate.”
Scott Silkstone is on trial at Leeds Crown Court charged with beating 55-year-old Dwayne Tuohey to death at the block of flats in Burmantofts where Mr Tuohey lived.
Footage played to the jury showed Silkstone dragging the lifeless body of Mr Tuohey into the lift of Gargrave Court, through the lobby area and outside on the morning of January 1.
Giving evidence in the witness box, 51-year-old Silkstone first said he had no recollection of what happened, but later said he remembered finding Mr Tuohey laid on the floor.
Defence barrister Matthew Donkin KC asked him: “What can you remember from that night?”
He answered: “I can’t remember anything.” He added that his next memory was waking up in the police station.
He said: “I was out of my face basically. Me and Dwayne had been smoking drugs.
“All we did was smoke drugs. I was living with him at the time. We were just two drug addicts who smoked drugs all the time.”
Silkstone said he was “more out of it” that day than usual, having taken tablets that he admitted he had little clue what they contained.
But Silkstone told the jury this morning that he remembered finding Mr Tuohey on the floor in the hallway after returning to “get some smokes”.
Asked by Mr Donkin if he wanted to harm or kill Mr Tuohey, Silkstone denied he did and broke down crying. He said: “He was my pal. He was my mate.”
Under cross examination, prosecutor Michelle Colborne KC asked how Mr Tuohey suffered the injuries that killed him.
Silkstone replied: “I wish I knew.”
Becoming frustrated, he said: “I know I did not kill Dwayne.”
He said that he and Mr Tuohey were long-time friends and were both hopelessly addicted to crack and heroin.
He told the jury they would spend up to £300 a day on drugs and splurge all of their £1,000 monthly benefits as soon as it became available.
Silkstone said he would shoplift to raise money for their habit and spend all they had on drugs.
He denied bullying Mr Tuohey, despite phone-message evidence from Mr Tuohey accusing Silkstone of taking advantage of him.
Quizzed about the hours before the death, Silkstone told the jury that their plan on December 31, like most days, was to “score” drugs.
CCTV picked them both up in the lift of the tower block just after midnight heading back to the flat.
Silkstone was then picked up on the cameras dragging Mr Tuohey’s lifeless body into the lift shortly after 8am.
Covered in blood, Silkstone was seen to lean over the body several times and then stamp on him repeatedly.
Dragging him through the entrance area and out on the pavement outside, two women were seen to approach and then retreat. They contacted the police.
Silkstone was seen to remove Mr Tuohey’s tracksuit bottoms then walk off.
He went to a local shop where he dumped the clothing and bought a milkshake.
Silkstone was arrested a short time later on suspicion of murder, but could be heard on the officer’s body-worn camera refusing to believe Mr Tuohey was dead.
The Crown maintains Silkstone fatally assaulted Mr Tuohey in his own flat, hitting him with items including a heater and Mr Tuohey’s own prosthetic leg before dragging him outside.
Photos of the flat showed overturned furniture and blood stains across the sofa, walls and other items.
Mr Tuohey suffered a bleed to the brain, damage to his heart and intestines, multiple rib fractures, a fractured breast bone, a broken nose, cuts to his body from the weapon, lost teeth and bruising across his head and body.
The trial continues is and expected to conclude this week.