Paul Groves, the man accused of murdering William "Billy Boy" Martindale admitted in court today that he attacked Mr Martindale with a pick-axe handle.
But he told the jury at Chelmsford Crown Court he did so because he was scared for his life. He said that Mr Martindale had bragged in the past about being a gangster and criminal and had claimed he had killed two hitman.
Groves said that he thought Mr Martindale had a shotgun and was going to shoot him and that was why he hit him.
He told the court that when he arrived at the remote farm where Mr Martindale died Mr Martindale was crouching over and leaning on a table. He said he saw a handle sticking out and thought it could have been a gun.
He said his fears of Mr Martindale were based on what he had told him in the past.
He told the court that when he first met him three years earlier Mr Martindale had introduced himself as a gangster within the first 15 minutes.
He continued : "He bragged he was a gangster and a criminal. He told me about a newspaper article where he had bragged he killed two hitmen ... and how he had two tattoos under his eye of tears to show that he had killed two men."
However, the court has been told though that for all his claims of being a gangster Mr Martindale's criminal record only ran to driving uninsured and without a licence and taking a vehicle without consent in 1990 and causing criminal damage in 1996.
But Groves said he had also seen Mr Martindale with a sawn off shotgun and he had previously threatened him with a machete.
Groves pleads not guilty to murdering Mr Martindale at his smallholding, Meadow View Farm, Ongar, about 9.15pm on 7 September 2012 and to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on Paul Meeking.
Smartly dressed in a three-piece grey suit, white shirt and spotted tie he told the court that he had been at his girl-friend's home in Stansted that evening and had been constantly bombarded with phone calls and texts from Mr Martindale.
He said he had been threatening him telling him he had to grow another cannabis crop for him (Martindale) because he had ruined one before and it had left him (Martindale) £2,500 out of pocket.
Groves said he had repeatedly refused to do it but eventually he decided to go to the farm to talk about it.
He told the court he went to his home before going to the farm a stranger was standing on the drive who said : "Paul isn't it? Bill has got the hump. What have you done?"
Groves replied he hadn't done anything. He said the stranger then went with him in his van to the farm where Mr Meeking followed them in through the gate into the pitch black smallholding.
He continued : "Bill was sitting at the table. He didn't say anything. He was leaning forward with his elbows on the table. He appeared to have a handle sticking in his lap he was trying to cover over with his forearms.
"I said 'I'm here to sort it out'. There was no reply. I was just the other side of the table. I noticed why he was crouching over. I saw a handle sticking out and then Bill lunged up and appeared to be grabbing hold of something so I punched him.
"I panicked and thought it was a shotgun. He had showed me a shotgun in the past and was always bragging about guns and things and quite passionate about them and it just looked like the butt of a shotgun.
"I panicked and punched him. I thought he was going to shoot me."
Groves said Mr Meeking then hit him in the eye with a pick-axe handle and then across the shoulder.
The two of them fought, fell on the ground, and they were both pulling on the handle.
He said he bit Mr Meeking on the chest to get him from on top of him.
"I grabbed the pick-axe handle from the floor and stood up. Paul lunged towards me again so I hit him on the shoulder with it. He lunged again so I hit him on the head.
"He went on the floor and tried to get up so I hit him again just to stop him getting up."
Groves told the jury Mr Martindale was still leaning on the table but said : "As I turned round to leave Bill started getting up and reaching for an object. It looked like a handle of what I believed to be a sawn off shotgun or his machete. Both are very similar looking. I panicked and I hit him on the head with the pick-axe handle.
"After I hit him the first time he tried to grab an object and lunged for me again so I hit him again with the pick-axe handle on the head. He was then unconscious and I left."
Groves said the whole incident lasted about 20-30 seconds. The other man left with him and disappeared when he, Groves, returned home.
He told the court he didn't lose his temper or decide to teach Mr Martindale a lesson. He had not gone to the smallholding to cause trouble.
He added : "I get a bit teary about it sometimes but it's done now."
He claimed he only punched Mr Martindale once and continued : "I was just terrified really. My head was hurting, I couldn't see. I thought he was going to shoot us and I just whacked him."
Earlier in his evidence the defendant said Mr Martindale had stayed with him for three months at one time when his partner threw him out and described him as a "nightmare" visitor.
He said he found him "intimidating" and aggressive. He drank a bottle of whisky virtually every night.
As a favour he had taken in Mr Martindale's 20 cannabis plants to look after but they had died. After that Mr Martindale persistently said he owed him. He had eventually grown a second crop for him but refused to do a third in the summer of 2012 even though he threatened him.
"He got angry really quick. He made death threats, threatened to rip my eyes out, threatened to stab my dad."
Groves said before that 7 September, Mr Martindale had never been physically violent towards him.
The trial continues
![Murder accused says he was “thought he was going to be shot”]( "Murder accused says he was “thought he was going to be shot”")
