Claire Holland: Accused's confessions were 'drunk ramblings'

Darren Osment allegedly told an undercover police officer he killed his ex-partner Claire Holland

A pub chef denied murdering his ex-partner and said confessions he made to killing her were the ramblings of a "drunken idiot", a court heard.

Darren Osment, 41, is accused of murdering Claire Holland in a drunken argument hours after she was seen leaving a pub in Bristol, in June 2012.

Despite extensive investigations, the 32-year-old mother-of-four has not been seen and her body has never been found.

Prosecutors allege Mr Osment blamed her for their baby being taken into care.

Bristol Crown Court previously heard that Mr Osment had allegedly confessed to six different parties he was involved in Ms Holland's killing and the disposal of her body.

These include friends, a new partner, a 999 call operator, uniformed police officers, an undercover officer assigned to befriend Mr Osment, and a prison inmate.

Ray Tully KC, defending, asked him directly if he murdered Ms Holland.

Mr Osment said no and explained he did not "know anything about her disappearance."

Claire Holland disappeared after leaving the Seamus O'Donnell pub on St Nicholas Street in Bristol

Giving evidence, Osment accepted he had made admissions of guilt to all of those mentioned, except the prisoner, saying there was "absolutely no truth whatsoever" to their claims.

"In admitting you have said these things to Adrian Mulcahy, Michael Salaway, Selina Mulcahy etc, why did you say these things?," Mr Tully asked.

Mr Osment replied: "For the want of a better explanation, I am a drunken idiot."

The barrister asked why he would confess to involvement in either Miss Holland's killing or the disposal of her body unless he had done it.

Mr Osment said he had "no idea".

"Good question. Drinking too much, trying to big myself up, make myself out to be something I am not, the combination of the three," he said.

"Alcohol-led"

He accepted saying "some of the things" to the prisoner but denied he had made any admissions about Ms Holland's murder or disposal of her body.

The court heard he met Ms Holland when they were both working in a café and a year into the relationship she became pregnant, which left him "shocked".

Mr Osment said they were both heavy drinkers, describing their relationship as "alcohol-led", and when he learned they were to become parents they moved into a two-bedroom house in Bradley Stoke, Bristol.

"I was cooking, Claire put the baby scan photo down. I questioned why she was showing it to me. She said, 'meet your son essentially'," he said.

"We certainly weren't in any position to be doing this. We didn't have a house."

When they moved into their new home he said he would often come home from work and find Ms Holland drunk.

"I got home, Claire was on the sofa asleep, my son was screaming, two empty bottles of wine were in the kitchen and one by her feet.

"I asked her what she was playing at. I took my son and removed Claire from the room with my other arm."

'She was just lying there'

Mr Osment said he then pushed her and she fell down the stairs.

"I put my son down. She was at the bottom of the stairs just lying there." he added.

A few weeks after their child was born, the baby was taken into care by social services.

Mr Osment said he moved out and the couple separated.

Despite police investigations, the mother-of-four has never been found

In 2011, he found out she had another son in a new relationship and told the court he was "not jealous" about it.

Mr Tully asked if Mr Osment knew her second son had to go into care.

He said it was none of his business.

A jury has previously heard Mr Osment made multiple confessions to an undercover police officer, known only as Paddy O'Hara, who was assigned to find out what happened to Ms Holland.

In covert recordings the defendant had suggested he had killed her, cut up her body with a knife and dumped her remains in water.

Mr Osment, of Chessel Drive, Patchway, denies the murder.

The trial is expected to finish on 15 Dec.