Alleged murder victim, Billy Martindale was a "larger than life character" – but he did not "fancy himself as a bit of a gangster" a court was told today.
The denial that Mr Martindale who is alleged to have been bludgeoned to death in a drugs dispute came on day two of the trial of Paul Groves, 34, of Ongar.
Groves has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Martindale and to wounding Paul Meeking in an alleged frenzy of violence at a remote Ongar farm last September.
Today under cross examination Mr Meeking, 54, of Barking, was asked by Graham Trembath QC for Groves : "Did he fancy himself as a bit of a gangster, like to portray himself as a bit of gangster?"
Mr Meeking answered: "No I wouldn't say he did."
Instead he said that Mr Martindale who had a prominent tattoo on his face and who liked to be known as "Billy Boy" was a "larger than life character."
He was quizzed about a video posted on the internet which showed Mr Martindale, who had a passion for guns spinning the chamber of a revolver and saying : "Sexiest sound in the world."
But again he denied that Mr Martindale posed as "a hard man, gangster type or criminal type".
He added: "There were a lot of people who put stuff on the internt about him because they didn't like him. They used to put reports of Billy Boy this, Billy Boy that and he turned round and said 'Give them something to talk about'."
Mr Meeking told the court there had been no plan to beat up Groves when he arrived to sort out a disagreement between him and Mr Martindale over cannabis.
The witness said he took a pickaxe handle with him when he unlocked the gate for Groves but denied he had "armed" himself.
He said that Mr Martindale had been calm during his frequent phone exchanges with the defendant though he agreed he had told police there had been talk between him and Mr Martindale of giving Groves "a wallop".
The trial continues
