Man who housed accused murder tells court he was 'scared' when he found out about Samantha Murphy's death

A man who reported to the police that someone wanted for murder was staying in his house admitted he was “scared” when he found out about it.

Charlie Jeans, 30 from Margate Road, Southsea, is on trial for the murder of mum-of-three Samantha Murphy. The 32-year-old’s body was found at a property in Wadham Road, North End, in the early hours of June 5 last year.

This morning (Tuesday, June 9), prosecutor Joanna Martin KC told the court that Jeans went on the run after murdering Samantha, ending up at a property in Midway Road, Hilsea, where Richard Palmer lived.

In the afternoon session, Mr Palmer gave evidence, during which he told the jury that he had no idea Jeans was wanted by the police. He stayed at Mr Palmer’s house from June 5 until June 9, drinking non-stop for roughly three days.

Video footage from his police interview was played, where he said: “My brother told me about it [over the phone] so I asked him [Jeans] about it, and what had happened. I said to him that he needed to hand himself in.

“He then said to me ‘why don’t you get banged up with me’, but I was caring for my mum at the time. He wasn’t acting like he’d killed somebody, he was just acting normal, but after I found out he started following me around the house.”

During Jeans’ stay at his home, Mr Palmer had been taking ketamine, describing himself to police as being “nutted” and saying that he could not remember the exact timeline of events because of his drug use during those few days.

Mr Palmer told the court that it wasn’t until Saturday, June 7, that his brother informed him about what had happened - and after that, he spent his time trying to get Jeans out of his house. This culminated in him calling the police himself, and getting them to arrest the defendant.

He said: “When I found out, I was scared of him a bit, but at the same time I thought he was an idiot for doing it. Like, him being in my house would have made me an accomplice, and he was trying to get everyone else banged up with him.

“It made me feel sick, how that can even go through your head. I think he realised that he’d left those kids without their mum, that’s when he started to come out of it.”

Mr Palmer was initially arrested by police as part of their investigation, but later released without charge.

Allison Summer, defending Jeans, suggested to the court that Mr Palmer knew about Jeans’ alleged offences far sooner, but housed him anyway.

In response, Mr Palmer launched a tirade of swear words at the barrister, then said: “I didn’t know how to deal with the situation; I’m not police or anything like that.

“But I didn’t want him there. I did everything in my power to try and get him out of my house, while nutted off my head on this, that and the other.”

Jeans denies murder. The trial continues