LOUGHTON: Arms in lake murder accused testifies in court (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

LOUGHTON: Arms in lake murder accused testifies in court

11:15am Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Epping Forest News By Tom Porter

A MAN has denied murdering a father-of-five, dismembering his body and disposing of his severed arms in a lake.

Anthony Whitefield, 47, disappeared from his home in Bryony Close, Loughton, in February 2011.

Two months later his arms were found by a fisherman who originally mistook them for a dead carp in Roding Valley Lake.

Mr Whitefield’s torso and legs were subsequently discovered in the back garden of a flat belonging to Douglas Binet, 54, of Hanson Drive in Debden.

Traces of Mr Whitefield’s blood were also found in the hallway and bathroom of Binet’s home, as well as in the boot of his car.

But when he took the stand at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday, Binet claimed Mr Whitefield had cut his hand on a door while visiting his home a few weeks before he died.

The jury had earlier heard police interviews in which Binet claimed shortly before the victim’s arms were discovered, two men had visited his house, pointed a gun to his head and said that “something would be delivered” the next day.

The following day, Binet claims he found Mr Whitefield’s torso and legs in his back garden, so he hid them.

He said: “After the men dropped the body parts off, I just stuck my head in a bag of coke and was taking close to an overdose every day.”

Police who interviewed Binet asked if he had murdered Mr Whitefield, to which he replied: “No, no, 100 per cent no.”

Binet said that he had known Mr Whitefield for about two years, and after Mr Whitefield lost his taxi driver’s licence they started dealing cocaine together.

Binet described how by this point he had developed a severe cocaine addiction, which drug dealing allowed him to fund.

The defendant described Mr Whitefield as a “plastic gangster” adding: “He was a little bit flash, saying ‘I have got this and I have got that’.”

Binet said that on the night Mr Whitefield disappeared, his friend paid him a visit to collect £200 he was owed, stayed for about half-an-hour and then left.

Binet said: “He was just normal Tony when he came round. We never had a row or altercation or disagreement of any kind.”

He said that over the next few days he received several frantic calls from friends of Mr Whitefield, asking if Binet knew where he was, as well as threatening calls from men who said the victim owed them thousands.

Binet denies murder. The trial continues.

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