Exclusive:'Delusional' Gosport pensioner accused of murdering nephew said 'he wants me to snuff it' in diary
Alan Wotton, 83 of Exmouth Road, Gosport, has denied the murder of Andrew Avery
A pensioner accused of murdering his nephew believed “he wants me to snuff it” according to his journal.
Alan Wotton, 83, of Exmouth Road, Gosport, is accused of killing of Andrew Avery, 65, charged with one count of murder and one alternative count of manslaughter. He denies the charges, saying he acted in self-defence.
Mr Avery died after being seriously assaulted at his home in Exmouth Road on November 29, 2024. The house was also set on fire, with Wotton already pleading guilty to one count of arson.
Earlier in this trial, the court heard that two independent psychiatrists believed Wotton has a delusional disorder - which “distorts” his sense of reality.
At Portsmouth Crown Court today (Tuesday, August 25), the jury was played video footage of Wotton’s arrest on the evening of November 29, 2024, before being given a cover-to-cover reading of his personal journal.
In there, Wotton made a number of accusations, including how “everyone ignores me”, that his nephew Mr Avery was delaying the sale of Wotton’s late sister’s house - where he was temporarily residing - and that Mr Avery “wants me to snuff it”.
He wrote: “A. Avery - t***. I know everything, he was delaying everything. He’s given me an eviction notice so I have nowhere to live.
“I walk into Co-Op, everyone ignores me. No Christmas cards from family - no matter, they’re all a********. All this gossip [is] contrived to f*** me up.
“He [Mr Avery] has the ear of many people in this town, hence the delays. He has complete control of my phone, which was my sister’s.
“I now have a stalker; you can play games, so will I.
“I believe the delays are killing time, hoping I’m going to pass on soon. He’s playing the wrong man. He makes it up as he goes along - he wants me to snuff it, I can help him out. Getting close to what he wants.”
The court heard how crime scene investigators, who recovered Wotton’s journal, found no evidence of an eviction notice inside the property.
When PC James Cowden arrived in Exmouth Road to arrest the defendant, emergency responders told him that Wotton said: “That man [Mr Avery] was nicking my money, and grabbed a knife.”
His self-defence case is based on his own testimony that Mr Avery grabbed a kitchen knife, but Wotton was able to overpower him before stabbing him multiple times.
(Proceeding)