A MAN who admits involvement in a teenager's death told a jury that he was swimming across a lodge when last seen.

James Butler, 21, said 18-year-old Sajjad Mahmood was "about half way out" when he and two co-accused walked away from Hagg's Lodge at Accrington.

Butler, of Pearl Street, Accrington, has admitted manslaughter. The other defendants, Wayne Kelly, 23, of Royds Street, and Karl Barton, 22, of Manor Gardens, both Accrington, deny the charge.

The jury at Preston Crown Court has heard that Sajjad's body was found in the lodge 10 days after he disappeared. It is alleged that he had been beaten up by the three men at a house in Princess Street, Accrington, used as a corner shop for the sale of the drugs.

Butler told the jury he used CS gas on Sajjad after they had argued about damage done to the property the previous day. "He put his hands over his face. His face was starting to burn and it looked like he was struggling to breathe. He was making a moaning noise.

"I shouted for Karl to come up to the kitchen to open the window because I was struggling to breathe myself." He said Barton kicked Sajjad in the stomach, and Kelly hit him with a black steel torch.

Said Butler: "I was struggling to breathe and I was panicking a bit so I went to wash my face." He told the jury he rang his brother to see if he could go round there. "If he was in I was going to go over and leave Karl and Wayne to it," he said. When he got back to the kitchen, Sajjad, who was on his knees against the back door, was again hit with the torch by Kelly, and Barton threw crockery and kitchen utensils at him.

Butler said he struck him on the leg with a stick he picked up from the floor. "We decided it was best to throw him out of the house and tidy up," he said. "Karl said we should take him somewhere and leave him."

They decided to go to Hagg's Lodge and give him a beating. Sajjad, he said, was conscious and walking of his own accord. "Karl mentioned it was like being in Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction," he told the jury.

At the lodge, Sajjad was told to get in or they would put him in. "We made him swim the lodge," said Butler, who added that the idea was to humiliate him as he would have to walk through town wet through.

He described how Sajjad went into the water up to his chest and then began to swim. Asked how he was when he went into the water, Butler replied he seemed to have cleared up from the CS gas.

The three then got a taxi back to Princess Street "to clear up in case the police came round."

Next day it was business as usual, he said.

Butler told the jury he told police "a pack of lies" when he said he knew nothing about the teenager's death. He also admitted he had warned prosecution witness Les Shewan not to talk to police.

The jury heard that the house in Princess Street was burned down in an arson attack on March 28. Butler admitted he had planned to close it up saying "the police knew too much about the sale of drugs from the house".

The jury was told that Butler ran a substantial drugs business and estimated that he made £2,000 a week after all outgoings.

(Proceeding)

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