Accused denies murdering Krystal

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A man accused of murdering a pregnant woman after a dispute between neighbours has denied knowing she was dead until his arrest two days later.

Thomas Hughes, 40, denies murdering 22-year-old Krystal Hart.

She was killed on the doorstep of her flat in Battersea, south London on Good Friday last year.

Mr Hughes said he left the scene after hearing two shots being fired by a Jamaican friend of Miss Hart's neighbour, Angie Brewer.

He said he did not hear about the incident on the radio, television or in a newspaper and did not realise Miss Hart had been killed until he walked into a police station on Easter Sunday.

I didn't do nothing to Krystal Hart Thomas Hughes

Aftab Jafferjee, prosecuting, pointed out that Mr Hughes had written a phone number down on a scrap of paper, torn from a copy of the Sun newspaper, which contained an extensive report of the murder.

Mr Hughes said: "I must have ripped it off the top of my friend's paper and written the number down.

"I can hardly read. I don't read the paper."

Mr Hughes added: "He's trying to make it sound as if I read the paper. You are a very smart man."

Mr Jafferjee replied: "I'm not smart, you're just guilty."

Mr Hughes said: "No, I never shot no-one."

'False alibi'

He later admitted telling police "a load of crap" after he was arrested. He said he had made up an account about going to McDonald's and then to Brighton after delivering an Easter egg to Miss Brewer at 0940 on Good Friday - just over an hour before the shooting.

Mr Jafferjee pressed him on why he had made up a "false alibi" when he could have just said he was out the house and saw the light-skinned Jamaican man who he now claims shot Miss Hart.

Mr Jafferjee said: "You are an innocent man who has just been arrested for a particularly ghastly murder of a young woman who has been shot in the head. Why didn't you mention the Jamaican man?"

Mr Hughes replied: "I didn't want to be involved."

Mr Jafferjee said: "But you had just been arrested for murder."

Mr Hughes said: "I knew I had done nothing. I assumed the police had the two videotapes and it would show I didn't do it."

Camera footage

The court has heard that both Miss Hart and Miss Brewer had CCTV cameras fitted on the outside of the building as their feud festered.

Miss Brewer's camera was pointed at the street and footage was shown to the jury which shows Hughes leaving the scene shortly after two shots can be heard.

Miss Hart's camera, which pointed at the doorway, and would probably have shown the shooting itself, was not recording on the day of the murder.

Earlier, Mr Hughes denied shooting Miss Hart and said he had not been involved in Miss Brewer's "war" with her neighbours.

Mr Hughes said: "I didn't do nothing to anyone. Why would I when I just bought Angie an Easter Egg?"

Mr Jafferjee said: "You mentioned that several times. Because you bought Miss Brewer an Easter egg, you can't have killed Krystal Hart. Is that it?"

Mr Hughes replied: "I didn't do nothing to Krystal Hart."

The case continues.