Wales Swansea Crown Court News

A man accused of causing the death of four miners in the Gleision Colliery disaster has appeared at Swansea Crown Court.

Malcolm Fyfield was the general manager of the mine when the incident happened in September 2011. He has been charged with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter.

Mr Fyfield was remanded on bail until May 20, when he will be expected to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty to the charges.

Also appearing in court were representatives of MNS Mining Ltd, which owned the mine at the time of the incident, to answer charges of corporate manslaughter.

Lawyers told the court that the company representatives would also not be entering a plea, and will also appear in court on May 20.

• UK
• Gleision
• Swansea Crown Court

Today Ben De Vere Hope was accused by his co-defendant's defence barrister of being Aamir Siddiqi's killer and of telling "deliberate lies."John Charles Rees QC said that Mr Hope was constantly changing his story even from what he had told the jury just yesterday.

Mr Rees said: "When that terrible act was committed it was you that was standing in a pool of blood. Itwas you that got blood on his shoes. It was you who ran out and left a foot mark on the top step.

"Your shoes were got rid of because your shoes were standing in that blood and because you were hit by arterial spray.That is why you lied about the shoes and got rid if them isn't it?"Mr Hope answered "No" to each allegation.

Mr Rees put it to Mr Hope that in police interviews he asked "what happens to my hands?" and told police he thought "it would all be gone by now. What with washing, scrubbing nails. Cleaning surfaceswith bleach?"

'What was it?' Mr Rees asked ''what would all be gone?" Mr Hope said it was a "hypothetical question" and not an admission."You knew they'd check your fingernails that's why you scrubbed your nails after killing Aamir Siddiqi wasn't it?" Mr Rees asked. Mr Hope replied: "it wasn't, no."

Swansea Crown Court heard Mr Hope didn't tell the police he had bought a laptop because he didn't want them knowing he'd spent a large amount of money and didn't tell police he'd taken heroin and changed his clothes because of blood stains as he doesn't like to "broadcast" that he took heroin.

When asked why he hadn't told police he was in a "drug stupor" after taking heroin, Mr Hope replied: "I wasn't expecting to be charged with murder."

Mr Hope said in police interviews that when he saw the murder of Aamir Siddiqi on the news he knew what Jason Richards had been talking about when he said "I might have killed somebody."

Mr Rees said: "Why did you say he (Mr Richards) had repeatedly stabbed somebody in the first interview if he hadn't said that to you?" "I don't recall," Mr Hope replied.

• UK
• Swansea Crown Court
• Cardiff

The second defendant charged with the murder of Cardiff teenager Aamir Siddiqi and the attempted murder of his parents has denied having anything to do with the incident.

Asked by his defence barrister if he was 'involved in any way' in killing Aamir or attacking his parents, Ben Hope both times replied 'No, I wasn't.'

Mr Hope claimed the other defendant Jason Richards told him that he may have murdered someone. Mr Hope said: 'he said 'I might have killed somebody or words to that effect'.' His barrister asked 'did you believe him?' He replied 'no, he's a bit of a fantastist.' The trial continues.

• UK
• Swansea Crown Court
• Cardiff

A police officer who attended the scene of a 17-year-old student who was stabbed to death in his home has described it as the worst he had come across.

Sergeant Kee Wong told the jury at Swansea Crown Court he had been "affected" by what he had seen.

Aamir Siddiqi, 17, was stabbed on the doorstep of his home in Roath, Cardiff, in April 2010.

Jason Richards, 38, and Ben Hope, 39, deny murder and attempted murder.

• UK
• Swansea Crown Court
• Cardiff

A jury has heard that one of the men accused of stabbing to death a 17-year-old student in his Cardiff home is said to have visited a shop to ask about buying gloves on the day of the incident.

Aamir Siddiqi, 17, was stabbed on the doorstep of his home in Roath, Cardiff, in April 2010.

Ben Hope and Jason Richards have denied murdering the 17-year-old and attempting to murder his parents.

Today the jury heard a statement from a Cardiff shop owner who claimed the men visited the shop on the day Aamir was stabbed. The statement claimed that one of them bought a reel of tape before asking whether the shop sold gloves.

The trial continues at Swansea Crown Court.

• UK
• Swansea Crown Court
• Cardiff

The trial has begun today of two men accused of murdering teenage boy, Aamir Siddiqi. Ben Hope and Jason Richards have denied murder at Swansea Crown Court.

This morning, prosecuting barrister, Mr Harrington, described the case as a "contract killing".

"They have been recruited for the attack. Tragically the killers went to the wrong house. They made a colossal mistake, a fatal mistake for Aamir." – Prosecuting barrister, Mr Harrington.

• UK
• Swansea Crown Court
• Cardiff