Court

'I Watched Girl Light The Flare That Killed Vilson Meshi', Boy Tells Pitsea Manslaughter Trial
Mon 14th August 2017, Yellow Advertiser

A TEENAGER has admitted stealing a dead man’s iPhone and car key while he slept in his car last year, but blamed his co-defendant for causing the man’s death.

The 16-year-old London boy, who cannot be named due to a court-imposed gagging order, is on trial for the manslaughter of Vilson Meshi and the theft of six marine distress flares from a boat at Pitsea Marina.

Keani Hobbs, 18, of Stagden Cross, is charged with the same offences.

Their trial, at Chelmsford Crown Court, entered its third week this morning with the launch of the teen boy’s defence case.

The boy told jurors he saw Miss Hobbs light a flare which was allegedly tossed into Mr Meshi’s car, causing his death.

Mr Meshi, 30, was found dead inside his burnt out Audi A4 in Pincey Mead, Pitsea, on the afternoon of February 27, 2016.

He had driven to Basildon from Glossop on the evening of February 26 as he was due to look after his two children - who lived in Pincey Mead with their mother - the following day.

Prosecutors contend he was sleeping in his car when, at 2.03am, the defendants threw a stolen marine distress flare into the vehicle and killed him.

The boy gave evidence from behind a screen today.

Under questioning by his own defence barrister Charlie Sherrard QC, the boy said he had been present when Miss Hobbs stole marine distress flares from a boat at Pitsea Marina - but insisted he did not participate.

He said he had been at Wat Tyler Country Park with Miss Hobbs and a cousin of hers whose name he did not know when they hopped a fence and started walking alongside the marina ‘for a bit of fun’.

He testified: "Keani decided to lift up the boat cover of the boat and she went into the boat and she got the flares out of the boat."

"Did you know she was going to do that?" Mr Sherrard asked.

"No," the boy replied.

"Did you go onto the boat?"

"No."

"Did you take or touch any of the flares?"

"No."

"Were they in a box or were they loose?"

"They were loose."

"Did you see how many there were?"

"Not really."

"Was it one? More than one?"

"I saw three or four."

"Where did she hold them or put them?"

"Down her trousers."

Jurors, who had earlier heard that an elastic rope on the boat cover had been cut, handed a note to Judge Patricia Lynch asking that the boy be questioned about who had cut it.

But the boy said he did not witness anybody cutting a rope or believe any of the group had been carrying knives.

He also denied having any knowledge of some tools the boat owner had also reported stolen.

The boy testified Miss Hobbs had kept hold of the flares and said he had nothing further to do with them.

Mr Sherrard then questioned the boy about the night of Mr Meshi’s death.

The boy said he had been at a party with Hobbs and some of her acquaintances at one of her neighbours’ houses.

He decided to leave and took Miss Hobbs’ sister’s bicycle, he said.

Asked why, he said: "I wanted to get some money so I could buy cannabis."

"How were you going to get the money?" Mr Sherrard asked.

The boy replied: "Sell stolen goods."

Mr Sherrard asked: "We have seen photographs from a video of somebody in a hoody, on a bike, trying door handles. Was that you?"

"Yes," the boy replied.

"Did you try the door handle on Mr Meshi’s Audi?"

"Yes."

"Did you take - steal - the keys and the phone from that car?"

"Yes."

"Did you know that there was anybody in that car?"

"No."

"If you had seen somebody in that car, would you still have stolen those items?"

"No."

"Having taken the keys and the phone, where did you go?"

"I went back to the party house."

The boy said once back at the party, he showed the items to Miss Hobbs and some of her friends.

One of them - a boy aged around 18 and wearing a police tag - suggested they should throw a flare into the car, the boy testified.

Mr Sherrard asked: "Was it discussed why? What was the point of throwing the flare into a car?"

The boy replied: "No, it was just for fun."

After the discussion, Miss Hobbs went home and then rejoined the group, the boy said. He told jurors he then led a group of youths to the scene.

He said the group had initially planned to ‘take the car out first’ using the stolen key, but when they arrived, the boy with the tag again suggested throwing in a flare.

The boy testified that he stood back in an alleyway.

He told jurors: "Keani lit the flare and opened the door and chucked it in there."

Miss Hobbs had given another boy her phone and asked him to film the incident, the boy said.

He continued: "As soon as Keani threw the flare in the car, I was a few steps ahead of them, going back to the house. As I got just around the bend, I heard the slamming of the car door behind me."

Mr Sherrard asked: "Did you actually see it being thrown in the car?"

The boy answered: "No, as soon as she lit it I left."

He repeated that he had not known anybody was in the car.

Mr Sherrard asked: "When was the first time that you did know or hear what had happened?"

"The next day on the news," the boy replied.

"How did you feel?" Mr Sherrard asked.

"I didn’t know what to feel at the time," the boy said.

Jurors were told ahead of the boy’s testimony today that he had three past convictions.

The boy had a May 2015 conviction for burglary and theft after he was caught with tools, trying to break into a garage.

He had an August 2016 conviction for a theft from a motor vehicle, committed three weeks after Mr Meshi’s death.

He also had a February 2017 conviction for a moped theft.

Jurors have previously heard how the boy originally told police he was ‘a London boy’ with ‘no connections’ to Basildon, claiming he had been in London with his parents throughout February 2016.

But analysis of his mobile phone showed he had used it close to Pincey Mead on February 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26 and 27.

When confronted with the evidence, the boy told police he was bad at geography and had believed he was still in London.

The trial continues.

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