Harry Baker murder trial: Accused 'admitted stabbing victim'

Harry Baker's body was found in a container yard in Barry Docks, in August 2019

A man accused of murdering teenager Harry Baker over a drugs feud told another defendant he "stabbed the boy five times", a court has heard.

Leon Clifford made the comment to co-defendant Lewis Evans during a car journey, witness Rachel Bushnell told Newport Crown Court.

Harry, 17 and from Cardiff, was found dead in a container yard in Barry Docks after he was knifed nine times.

Six men and a boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny murder.

Ms Bushnell said she and Mr Clifford were passengers in a car driven by Mr Evans, who she described as "upset, flustered, agitated".

Mr Clifford told Mr Evans that Harry "was dead", she told the court, and he "couldn't understand why he hadn't been picked up" by police following other arrests, she told jurors.

Asked by prosecutor Paul Lewis QC what Mr Clifford had said he had done, Ms Bushnell replied: "That he'd stabbed the boy five times".

When asked where, she said: "He'd gone for his face and had caught him in the neck".

The court heard Mr Clifford said his unborn child would be "a man" by the time he got out of prison.

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Ms Bushnell told the court that, in August 2019, she had been using class A drugs "most days" leading up to her police interview.

Caroline Rees QC, defending Mr Clifford, suggested the drugs may have affected her "recollection", something Ms Bushnell denied.

Greg Bull QC, defending Mr Evans, said the Falklands veteran used cocaine to "obliterate the terrible thoughts" of his experience in the conflict when he served with the Royal Navy.

Mr Bull suggested his client had encouraged Leon Clifford to hand himself in. Ms Bushnell, his former partner, said he "might have done".

'Knife discarded at scene'

Jurors were earlier shown a knife that was found by police in bushes close to where Harry's body was found.

Prosecutor Paul Lewis QC said it was "accepted" the knife was owned by Mr Clifford.

"That was the knife that was in possession of Leon Clifford at the material time, and it was discarded by Leon Clifford at the scene," Mr Lewis said.

Forensic scientist Brendan McCabe said blood on the knife matched Harry's DNA.

He also said blood staining found on a piece of wood with a nail sticking out if it had DNA on it that "matched the profile of [defendant] Peter McCarthy".

Paul Lewis QC said Mr McCarthy accepted "putting down" that piece of wood.

Forensic scientist Brendan McCabe examined blood stains at the container yard where Harry's body was found

Jurors heard a piece of wood with three nails in it, stained with Harry's blood, was found outside the fence near the main entrance to the yard.

Mr McCabe said one explanation was that this piece of wood "was actually used to hit Mr Baker".

The court heard Harry's DNA was also found on a navy Adidas hoody and Nike trainers found at the scene.

A "heavily blood stained" t-shirt was also found with "recent stab cuts" on the left sleeve and upper abdomen.

Dark blue Adidas jogging bottoms, size small were also found "heavily blood stained" at the scene with "recent stab cuts" to the shin, right thigh and right buttock.

Leon Clifford, 23; Raymond Thompson, 48; Lewis Evans, 62; Ryan Palmer, 34 and Peter McCarthy, 37, all from Barry; Leon Symons, 22, from Ely, in Cardiff, and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be identified deny murder.

The trial continues.