The man accused of the London murder of 87-year-old John Mackey told police he saw a man at the scene he thought “was a crackhead” and suggested this person may be repsonsible for the murder.
Peter Augustine (59) denies the murder of Mr Mackey in an alleged attack on May 6th on a street near the Irishman’s home in Manor House, north London.
He is accused of beating Mr Mackey, who was originally from Callan, Co Kilkenny, and robbing him of his bag, which contained his takeaway dinner and shopping. Mr Mackey died in hospital two days later.
Before lunch at the Old Bailey, the prosecution called to the stand Det Sgnt Glen Peach, the investigating officer in the case. He gave evidence of what the accused said in police interviews in the days after his arrest following Mr Mackey’s death.
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The court heard that in one police interview, Mr Augustine said he had “walked past” Mr Mackey who was lying on the ground in the street.
He said he asked him: “‘You alright guv?’
“He never said nothing,” Mr Augustine told police.
The court heard he said that he just wanted to go for a walk and that he did not kill Mr Mackey. “I’ll be honest with you, I’ve killed spiders, but never humans,” Mr Augustine told police in his interview.
The accused said he had only come out to get a pint of milk. He said when he saw Mr Mackey lying on the ground, he thought he was “a plank of wood”.
Mr Augustine told police he had seen another man “in the corner” on a bike, who he said stared at him. He said he thought that man “was on crack”.
“Maybe it was him, the way he was looking at me,” Mr Augustine told police. “I thought to myself he is a crackhead with them eyes. He’s flippin’ Mick Jagger.”
Mr Augustine said that as he was walking past Mr Mackey, he saw the Irishman’s black bag on the ground and thought that “the wind must have blown it to the side”.
At this stage of the retelling of his police interview, Mr Augustine, who had earlier left the dock but later re-entered, asked to leave the dock once again.
According to his police interview, Mr Augustine said he looked at the black bag and thought “I’ll have that. I can put my Nivea in it.”
He said that he said to Mr Mackey “alright boy?” but the pensioner just groaned back at him and his face was red.
“Listen pal, I’m telling you now, I never touched the man,” Mr Augustine told police.
He identified himself on CCTV walking near to Mr Mackey. He told police he could “see how bad it looked” but he said he was only “looking at the greenery”.
He repeated that he only took Mr Mackey’s bag to his hotel, where he was living at the time as he was homeless, so he could put his aftershave in it.
Mr Augustine told police that it was “bang out of order” to suggest he had attacked Mr Mackey.
He said he had walked away and left him on the ground thinking he was a “f**king pisshead” and that he was “out for the count”.
Earlier this morning, Mr Augustine walked out of the dock as a forensic pathologist described the injuries the dead man received in “a sustained assault”.
Forensic pathologist Matthew Cieka was called to give evidence on Monday morning.
Nieces and nephews of Mr Mackey, who lived alone after moving to the UK in the late 1950s, were also in the courtroom.
The pathologist said the victim died from blunt-force head and chest injuries that “cannot be explained by a simple fall”.
He said Mr Mackey had suffered a sustained assault “possibly involving punches and kicks, including while the victim was on the ground”.
Mr Cieka described a series of deep bruises and abrasions on Mr Mackey’s head, neck and torso. He also suffered from bleeding to his brain as well as fractured ribs caused by impact that, he agreed with prosecution barristers, could have been caused by stamping.
Mr Augustine walked out of the dock as Mr Cieka gave his testimony.
The prosecution is nearing the end of its evidence in the case, with Mr Augustine scheduled to give evidence in his own defence later on Monday afternoon.
Last week in the courtroom, Mr Augustine repeatedly interrupted proceedings by shouting from the dock that he “never hit him – I just took the bag”.
The case continues.
