Murder accused tells jury co-defendant killed Black Country dad
A man accused of killing a father of five claimed he tried to stop his co-defendant carrying out the attack, which left the man with more than 140 wounds.
Carl Woodall, known as 'Bert' was beaten and left for dead at the Waterside Industrial Estate off Doulton Road, in Rowley Regis, on June 28 last year.
Giving evidence in the witness box, the accused Simmion Goldbourne told Wolverhampton Crown Court that he had tried to stop co-defendant Mark Campbell from hitting the victim, but was himself threatened with a machete.
Goldbourne said: "I could see that he was naked, battered and chop wounds were on his hands. I said I was calling an ambulance, but Campbell said 'you're not calling the ambulance, the police will come'.
"He became aggressive. I thought he might attack me."
"I kept my mouth shut out of fear," Goldbourne, a forklift driver, said.
He said after hitting the victim Campbell then held Mr Woodall under his arms before dragging him upstairs while demanding to be shown where money and drugs were hidden. Goldbourne also said he hid the machete and a knife behind a generator while Campbell was searching the upper floor to prevent them being used to injure the the victim further.
Goldbourne told the court that eventually Mr Woodall, who appeared "to have given up", revealed items were stashed in bag under the stairs.
He denied inflicting any of the injuries and said he was ordered by Campbell to search the premises and did as he was told after the older man "waved" a machete towards his face when he asked why he was striking Mr Woodall.
He told the jury he placed the victim's mobile phone next to him, telling him to wait until they left before ringing for an ambulance.
Co-defendant James McGhee drove Campbell and Goldbourne from Nottingham to the unit and remained outside for two hours while the pair burgled it. He said he had no idea a murder had been committed until he was arrested days later.
Goldbourne and McGhee both admitted they went to steal drug money from the unit, which the court previously heard was allegedly being used as a drug factory.
Mr Woodall, 44, lived in a caravan at the site where he ran a workshop.
The prosecution allege he was the victim of a joint enterprise murder involving Mark Campbell, 39, Goldbourne and McGhee, both 28.
The jury also previously heard that Woodall's stepson Cieran Evans met Campbell in Birmingham Prison four years ago and they kept in touch after release.
Campbell visited him in Rowley Regis weeks before the murder, he stayed at his home and called at the unit before returning home abruptly.
Campbell, of Glaisdale Drive East, McGhee, of Stanstead Avenue, both in Nottingham, and Goldbourne, of no fixed abode, all deny murder. The trial continues.
