Murder suspect Julian Felisi held Gary Bennett's head in the moments after the brutal attack which killed him, a court heard yesterday.

Speaking to the court yesterday afternoon, Felisi described the series of events he claims unfolded on the morning of Wednesday, February 24.

The jury at St Albans Crown Court heard that, after collecting Mr Bennett from his home in South Oxhey at about 4.45am, Felisi was instructed to drive to a railway bridge where two men were waiting.

The defendant described one of them as being about 5ft 10in tall with a high visibility jacket while the other wore dark clothes.

Felisi said he was wearing a dark blue jumper with no high visibility clothing while Mr Bennett was wearing his high visibility jacket.

The 38-year-old defendant said: “One of them put something in my boot and they both got in the car.

“I was directed towards Aldenham Country Park and then down a lane on Aldenham Road. It was dark but I had my window down and I could hear sails flapping so I knew we were near the park.

“One of the men got out and the other told me to drive around for a bit, so I did.”

The jury was again shown CCTV of a car driving past Bio Products Laboratory, in Dagger Lane, three times between 5.03am and 5.27am.

Felisi said he did not deny it could be his vehicle in the pictures, explaining that he drove “around Aldenham and near the Hare Krishna temple for about ten or 15 minutes”.

He told the court he drove back down Dagger Lane and was told to pull over, which he did in a lay-by a few hundred yards down the road from the kissing gate entrance to the park.

He said: “Gary and the other man got out. He had an Irish-like accent. I looked around and couldn't see them so I assumed they had gone for a wander. I got out of the car and had a cigarette and I could hear shouting and noises coming from the park.

“For the first few seconds I didn't know what to do. I made my way up to the entrance and went into the park through the kissing gate – I could still hear noises and shouting.

“I could see figures in the distance by the kiosk. I ran over to them and I could see two men standing and one person on the floor. By his size and stature I assumed it was Gary. I bent down and I couldn't see his face so I turned his head towards me and I could see it was Gary. I couldn't see blood but his head felt wet which I assumed was blood.

“One of the men came towards me and I pushed him away but the other grabbed me took me towards Dagger Lane. He was the one with the high visibility jacket.”

He then told the court he was walked back to his car as the other man held what he “assumed was a knife” into his side.

The court heard the man “rummaged about” in Felisi's car boot before getting in the passenger seat and telling him to drive off – he then reportedly dropped him off at the junction of Common Road and Elstree Road.

He told the court he did not ask any questions of the man as he was “worried about what might happen”.

He said: “He had a knife, I wasn't going to argue. I didn't know what might happen to me – I still don't know what might happen.”

Felisi will continue to give evidence this morning.