Middlesbrough murder accused told court he was ‘in the wrong place’

Daniel Simpson told a jury that he was not aware of what was going to happen before the car he was in was rammed into a parked VW Passat.

Teesside Crown Court has watched harrowing CCTV footage of the four accused males jumping out of their black Chevrolet 4×4 and attack the occupants of the VW with machetes and a BB gun.

The 32-year-old told the court: “I didn’t know that was about to go on. If I knew that was going to go on, I would have gotten out of the car.”

Anthony Lee Dickons (Image: Cleveland Police)

Anthony Dickons was fatally injured when he was slashed with a machete in a car park on Orme Court, Middlesbrough, on November 6, last year.

The security footage captured the defendants block in the car before they all rushed out of the vehicle and launched what the prosecution say is a “ferocious” attack while someone was shouting ‘where’s the f****** gear?’.

During cross examination, John Elvidge KC, prosecuting, asked Simpson why he got out of the car ahead of the attack, Simpson said: “I made a stupid decision to get out of the car.

“There was no purpose to me getting out of the car, I shouldn’t have even been involved in it.”

The defendant claimed he was told to get out of the car, but said he didn’t go there to support them or help them and didn’t realise what was going to happen as he was ‘too busy sniffing coke in the back of the car’.

He said he was simply ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’.

Orme Court, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough (Image: Google)

Morgan Caldwell has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Anthony Dickons and causing grievous bodily harm to a second man, Stephen Law, during the violent attack.

However, the Crown Prosecution Service rejected the 26-year-old’s plea, and he remains on trial for murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, to Mr Law.

Caldwell and Simpson travelled to Scotland, and days later they boarded an early ferry to Belfast, in Northern Ireland, where they were arrested on November 11.

The court heard how Simpson made a number of internet searches on his phone, including ‘cheap flights to Dubai’ and ‘non-extradition countries’.

Simpson, 32, of Coledale Road, Berwick Hills, 24-year-old Dominic Hall, of Greencroft Walk, 26-year-old Caldwell, of Cannock Road and the teenager, all of Middlesbrough, deny the murder of 44-year-old Mr Dickons.

They also deny a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against Mr Law.

The trial continues.