POLICE told a jury how they used CCTV to eliminate suspects and reach the conclusion that the killer of a pensioner was his own great-nephew.

Adam Mason, aged 33, of Plough Lane, Tibberton, denies murdering Desmond Wooding at the 80-year-old’s home in Vines Lane, Droitwich on June 23 last year.

Mark Mason, aged 55, also of Plough Lane, Tibberton, is alleged to have driven Adam Mason, who is his nephew, away from the scene, with the prosecution saying he intended to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Adam Mason, knowing or believing him to be guilty of the murder or another arrestable offence.

On Wednesday, jury heard from Detective Constable Robert Loach who told them he had gone through around 10 hours of CCTV footage, caught on a camera near the victim’s home and a few minutes walk away at the Gardeners Arms pub, as part of the process of eliminating potential suspects for the murder.

Bespectacled Adam Mason was captured on the CCTV, walking a dog, and taking 20 minutes to pass between the two cameras. The prosecution case is that he murdered Mr Wooding during that time.

DC Loach explained that hundreds of people had passed through the two points, either on foot or by car that day, and those that passed through in such a short period of time that they wouldn’t have been able to carry out the killing, were eliminated as suspects.

At the resumption of the trial on Thursday, Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting, told the jury that he was not going to explain the actions that day of every single individual to pass through the CCTV points in a long enough period of time to potentially kill Mr Wooding, as the defence was not claiming one of them was the murderer.

But Mr Shakoor did explain the actions of some of those people. One was at 2.09pm, when a truck parked between the cameras for a period of over 10 minutes. DC Loach said they had spoken to the truck driver, telling the jury: “He explained he was in Droitwich that day with his partner and children. The 17 minute gap was to get a DVD to work for the children (in the car).”

DC Loach also highlighted other occasions where Vines Lanes neighbours passed a camera then went into their home, or where people parked up and went to a nearby park.

Earlier in evidence Keith Evans, the next door neighbour of Mr Wooding, had told the jury that he had heard the voice of Mr Wooding at around 8.30pm so, if assumed he was still alive then, focus then moved to the period after this.

DC Loach said at one point there was a group of four young people who took nearly five minutes to move between the cameras. DC Loach said initially the group could not be identified but a press release led to the four coming forward.

“They all had statements taken from them,” he said. “Their explanation was they were messing around, doing nothing of any particular note.”

DC Loach also talked the jury through CCTV that showed the times Mr Wooding had switched the lights off at his property in the days leading up to his death. These ranged from 9pm to 11pm but, crucially, on the night of June 23 through to the morning of June 24, his lights remained on.

The trial continues.

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