AN ESSEX kitchen fitter is standing trial in Tenerife accused of pushing a young holidaymaker to his death over the side of a pleasure boat 17 years ago.
Briton Garry Walton, 21, drowned after falling from a booze cruise off the Spanish island in November 1996 near the resort of Playa De Las Americas.
Nearly two decades on, sole suspect Darren Sapstead, of South Woodham Ferrers, is standing trial accused of killing him – despite Spanish police originally writing the incident off as an accident.
The 38-year-old, whose trial began on Monday, faces up to 12 years in prison if he is convicted of homicide, a Spanish criminal charge in between manslaughter and murder.
Several British holidaymakers have jetted in to the popular tourist destination to give evidence.
Lucy Smethurst, a 14-year-old girl at the time of the cruise, told the court in Santa Cruz she heard Mr Sapstead confess to throwing Mr Walton into the sea.
"I remember very clearly saying to Darren, 'So you pushed him?' and he said 'Yes'."
State prosecutor Deborah Padilla told the jury: "Towards the end of the trip as the boat neared port and the defendant was with a young girl at the stern, Garry stumbled drunkenly towards them.
"The defendant said to the girl, 'Shall I throw him overboard?' and then, without giving the girl time to reply and with the clear intention of ending Garry's life, he bent down, grabbed Garry by his legs at knee-height, stood back up and threw him over the side, fully conscious of his state of drunkenness.
"All this occurred in a matter of seconds, without Garry being able to act."
But the former Plume School student's defence lawyer told the court the incident on November 7, 1996, was an "unfortunate accident".
He said his client was the only person on the boat who threw the drowning man a life ring and tried to jump into the sea to help him.
"In my opinion, Mr Walton's death was a tragic accident, not the work of another person and certainly not the result of Darren Sapstead's actions," he said.
The body of Mr Walton, an apprentice builder from Leeds, was found by another boat two hours later.
Mr Sapstead was extradited to Spain in 2005 but was given permission to return home while a judicial investigation continued.
He agreed to return to Tenerife for Monday's trial and protested his innocence during cross-examination.
"It wasn't me that threw Garry overboard. I was the only person that went to help him," he said.
"I threw a life ring to him and I was taking my shoes and T-shirt off to jump in after him when the guy arranging the party games stopped me."
Last Friday he told the Chronicle he expected to be found innocent at the end of the week-long trial.
He said: "I haven't done anything.
"They can't find me guilty because I'm innocent."
As well as facing 12 years behind bars if found guilty he could be ordered to pay his alleged victim's family £104,000 in compensation.
The trial continues.
