A PENSIONER was killed by being stabbed in the heart and neck inside his home, and police used CCTV to find their suspect, a jury heard on the third day of a murder trial.

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

Prosecutor Adrian Keeling asked Dr Brett Lockyer, a Home Office accredited pathologist, about a post mortem examination he carried out on June 25, two days after Mr Wooding was found dead.

Dr Lockyer said he had found 11 significant injuries, caused by stabbings and slashes, which he described as “sharp force injuries”, including one through the neck, and one through the lung and into the heart.

He said that either of those particular stab wounds on their own could have been enough to kill the victim.

“The cause of death I gave was being stab wounds to the neck and chest,” Dr Lockyer said.

The prosecution allege the murder weapon could have been a steak knife from the victim’s kitchen, as they say one was missing.

Dr Lockyer said he had been sent pictures of the knives and said it “had the characteristics” to be able to cause the injuries.

In cross examination, David Mason QC asked if it was possible the assailant would have blood on them as a result of the stabbings.

Dr Lockyer said this was possible, but would have depended on whether the victim had covered and protected his neck with his hands after the stabbing, and the blood pressure at the time.

Asked on the blood on the knife after the stabbing, he confirmed he would have expected there to be some, ranging from traces to a visible stain.

Later Detective Constable Robert Loach took the stand and showed the jury the movements of Adam and Mark Mason captured on CCTV on the afternoon of June 23.

It is the prosecution’s case that there is a 20 minute time period when Adam Mason doesn’t appear on any CCTV and that must be when he was murdering Mr Wooding.

Asked about this further, DC Loach explained he had gone through around 10 hours of CCTV footage, caught on a camera near the victim’s home and another at the Gardeners Arm pub, as part of the process of eliminating potential suspects for the murder.

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

Mr Keeling asked: “The longest period to get between the two points was Mr Mason (Adam), wasn’t it?” to which DC Loach replied “yes”.

The questioning was set to continue today, when the prosecution is due to go through each individual that took a longer than expected period of time to pass through, with the explanation provided as to why.

The trial continues.