David Varlow murder case: Mobile phone evidence puts suspect at scene several times, court told

Adris Mohammed left a mobile phone footprint during his journeys from his Ladywood home to the Mr Varlow's home in Manor Lane during attempted and successful break-ins last autumn, jurors were told.

Mobile phone expert Kevin Weeks, from Stratford based company CCL, took the stand at Birmingham Crown Court to tell the jury about the mobile phone usage of Mohammed, who is charged with Mr Varlow's murder, and O'Shay Swan who is charged with fraud.

Mr Weeks presented a report to the jury in which he used mobile phone cell mast data to show where the two phones had been.

The first occasion was on October 24, he said, when Mohammed was believed to have tried to break into the pensioner's house first, leading to the worried homeowner phoning the police.

Mr Weeks said: "The cell data suggests the phone did move from Icknield Port Road [Birmingham] to 90 Manor Lane in Halesowen.

"The phone then travelled from Halesowen to Bearwood and then Icknield Port Road."

The jury has been told that Mohammed returned to Mr Varlow's home, tied him up, and left him to die, while draining his bank account.

Mr Weeks explained in detail how mobile phones use cell phone masts to connect to the mobile phone network they are on whenever they are turned on.

He detailed to the jury how both Mohammed and Swan's phones were active in the days following the murder as they had contacted each other.

Mohammed was living in an HMO in Icknield Port Road at the time of the arrest and Swan was also living in a HMO in Winson Green Road.

Detective Neil Payton who arrested Adris Mohammed, told the jury about the arrest on November 19

He said: "Mohammed had left his home with a woman with a pushchair, I ran up to him and told we were the police, we put him on his front, he was cautioned and searched.

"I found a bank card in his pocket, and a lottery ticket. He was compliant."

When questioned by Mohammed's lawyer, Detective Payton said he did not remember Mohammed saying he had been mistakenly arrested for murder.

Mohammed also wanted the officer to know he did not want his girlfriend and child to remain in Birmingham but to immediately return to Stafford.

Detective Constable James Farrell gave evidence about arresting Swan at his home in connection with alleged burglary and the subsequent interview in Perry Barr Custody Suite.

He said Swan told detectives his phone had fallen into a toilet and he had lost the SIM card while he was in hospital. He claimed he had been drying his phone in rice and a woman had been using the SIM card during the weeks when the burglaries and murder happened.

The just heard that Swan told detectives he had met Mohammed, whose nickname was Scientist, in a house in Ladywood where he had been trying to sell stolen goods.

Mohammed, aged 44, of Icknield Port Road, Birmingham, is charged with attempted burglary at Mr Varlow’s home on October 24, aggravated burglary on November 3, murder and fraud. He is also charged with a further burglary on November 12. There is also a count of manslaughter before the jury.

Swan, 42, of Winson Green Road, Birmingham, denies burgling Mr Varlow's property on a day between November 10 and 13 and committing fraud in relation to the use of a bank card on November 12.

The trial continues.