Phillip Lewis murdered and put in Harlow pond by friend, jury told

Body parts belonging to Phillip Lewis were found in two ponds in Harlow

A homeless man was murdered by his friend who dumped his body parts in two ponds after using power tools to cut them off, a court heard.

Phillip Lewis' torso was found in Oakwood Pond, in Harlow, Essex, on 31 December 2022 with other body parts found a mile away in Netteswell Pond.

During a search of Lee Clarke's nearby flat, police found blood and human tissue belonging to Mr Lewis, 59.

Mr Clarke, 56, of Wedhey, Harlow, denies murder.

Warning: Article contains distressing detail

A dog walker found part of Mr Lewis' pelvis and spine near the water on New Year's Eve 2022, prosecutor Louis Mably KC told Chelmsford Crown Court.

Specialist police officers searched Oakwood Pond in Harlow after body parts were found by a dog walker

Further searches by the police discovered the right side of a torso that was missing a head and right arm, as well as all the internal organs, the jury heard.

Ten days later, officers found a heart, lungs and lower arms from a body in Netteswell Pond, about a mile east from Oakwood Pond, as well as two legs and human ribs.

'Dismembered'

"To this day, the head, the upper thighs and the upper arms have never been found," Mr Mably said.

"It was clear the body had been dismembered and that a power tool or several power tools had been used to cut through the bones."

The Harlow pond, which is close to the Princess Alexandra Hospital, became a crime scene

Mr Mably added that DNA tests undertaken by scientists linked the body parts to Phillip Lewis, who was known to live in a tent near Oakwood Pond.

Although not reported missing, Mr Lewis had not been seen since 12 November 2022, the court heard.

The jury was told telephone records helped police establish a link between Mr Lewis and Mr Clarke, who lived on the sixth floor of Edmunds Tower in Harlow.

The duo were part of a community who "regularly drank and took drugs" in the town centre and Mr Lewis had spent several nights staying at the defendant's flat, the prosecutor said.

Police established Lee Clarke, a friend of Mr Lewis, to be their main suspect, a court was told

Police searched Mr Clarke's council-owned property on 4 January 2023 and arrested him after finding "significant" evidence inside it.

"It was found that the living room in particular, and other parts, were covered in blood. What was found was the blood belonged to Mr Lewis," Mr Mably said.

He said human tissue was found stuck to a wall by the bathroom and added: "[Mr Lewis] was attacked in the flat and dismembered on the sixth floor by this defendant."

The trial continues.