Bristol abattoir workers murdered and mutilated two men, court hears

The bodies were found at a house on Wood Street in Easton

Two abattoir workers tortured two acquaintances to death before mutilating them in a "gruesome echo" of their butchery work, a court has heard.

Ionut-Valentin Boboc, 22, and Jacob-Bebe Chers, 46, are accused of the murders of Denzil McKenzie and Fahad Hossain Pramanik in Bristol.

They were killed in Mr Mckenzie's home in Easton on 11 September 2021.

Mr Boboc admits murdering Mr McKenzie but denies killing Mr Pramanik, while Mr Chers denies both murders.

The jury heard the two defendants, from Hillfields, had met Mr McKenzie, 56, through their work at the abattoir near Bristol, where their job involved making incisions in the bellies of pigs.

They would sometimes drink together at his house, the court heard.

'Wrong place'

Mr Pramanik, 27, was unknown to either defendant, and had been visiting Mr McKenzie from London on the night of the murders.

Prosecutor Kevin Dent KC said he had been "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

Text messages between Mr Boboc and Mr McKenzie revealed the defendant had repeatedly sought loans from the victim.

The messages suggest Mr McKenzie had sought sexual favours from Mr Boboc in exchange.

On the night of the killing, the court heard that Mr Boboc allegedly tricked Mr McKenzie into allowing him and Mr Chers into his home by claiming he had a special "gift" for him.

The two defendants were caught on CCTV walking towards Mr McKenzie's home on Wood Street at 20:30 BST, then returning the same way at about 23:00 BST.

On the return journey, they were apparently staggering under the weight of goods stolen from Mr McKenzie's house including jewellery and electronics, the court heard.

Ionut-Valentin Boboc and Jacob-Bebe Chers are on trial at Bristol Crown Court

When the murders were discovered, police found the mutilated bodies of both victims in the living room of the Wood Street property.

Mr McKenzie had been stabbed 23 times, while Mr Pramanik had been stabbed three times to the back and abdomen - one of Mr Pramanik's wounds was 18in (46cm) deep.

The prosecutor said: "There was an element of macabre display about how these bodies had been dealt with.

"After his death (Mr Pramanik) had been disembowelled in a gruesome echo of the butchering the defendants carried out at the abattoir on pigs.

"That's the terrible state in which the two bodies were left."

No explanation given

The defendants allegedly tried to clean up the scene by wiping blood off the walls and other surfaces, while thick black car paint had been sprayed on the bodies and all around the house.

The pair were arrested when Mr Boboc told his family what he and Mr Chers had allegedly done.

They initially thought he was joking or drunk, but later decided to call the police.

Mr Dent said: "The defendants have never given an account that even comes close to explaining all of the injuries to these two men.

"Neither Mr Boboc or Mr Chers have disclosed to the police at any stage why Mr McKenzie or Mr Pramanik had been repeatedly stabbed, why they had been tortured or why they had been mutilated after their deaths."

He continued: "The two defendants were clearly acting together in these two killings - either by both causing the injuries or one causing the injuries with the encouragement or assistance of the other."

The two defendants were aided in the dock by a Romanian interpreter to ensure they understood the legal proceedings as part of their right to a fair trial.

The trial continues.

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