Rebecca Aylward murder: Breakfast bet was 'a joke'

Rebecca Aylward's body was found face down in woodland near Bridgend

A teenager has told a murder trial he was only joking over a bet of a cooked breakfast with a friend, who is accused of killing his own ex-girlfriend.

It is claimed the boy, 16, arranged to buy the defendant a breakfast if he carried out his threat to murder Rebecca Aylward, 15. She was found dead in woods near Bridgend.

But the boy said he thought the accused, also 16, was "messing about".

The accused denies murder at Swansea Crown Court and blames the witness.

Rebecca was found dead in woods in Aberkenfig in October 2010.

Her former boyfriend is accused of her murder.

Swansea Crown Court heard her former boyfriend, then also 15, allegedly told his friend: "Don't say anything but you might just owe me a breakfast."

His friend told the jury their breakfast bet was just a joke between them and he was "playing along".

He said he did it not because he was horrible, but because he just did not believe his friend would kill Rebecca.

'Done and dusted'

The alleged bet was forgotten about until he received a text from the defendant days before Rebecca's death.

The text read: "Don't say anything but you might owe me a breakfast."

The boy said he sent a jokey text back, because he thought it was all messing about.

"I honestly didn't think he was going to do it - I was just playing along," he said.

The court heard the accused sent another text to his friend saying: "Hopefully by Friday it will be done and dusted."

The friend, who gave evidence via a video link said he called him "sadistic... I thought he was quite sick".

"I thought he was quite a sick person because of the way he was talking about killing Becca," he added.

The court heard Rebecca, of Maesteg, had gone to meet her ex-boyfriend hoping she was going to get back with him.

Her mother reported her missing the next day and her body was found in forestry near the village of Aberkenfig.

A post mortem examination found she had died from blunt injuries to the head, which had broken the base of her skull in four places.

The trial continues.