9:50am Saturday 13th March 2010
By Tristan Kirk
The jury has retired to consider a verdict in the Garry Frater murder trial.
Jake Lee, 23, and Louis Tate, 24, stand jointly accused of murdering the father-of-three on May 30 last year.
Prosecutors at the Old Bailey have alleged the men, both from Acton, followed Mr Frater and three friends home before deliberately reversing into him and dragging his body under the car for several metres.
But the pair, who were caught on CCTV “shadowing” Mr Frater around Watford town centre in the early hours of May 30, claim the car reversed accidentally into Mr Frater when one of his friends came at them with an axe.
Both defendants have told the jury they did not realise Mr Frater had been hit by the car, and Mr Lee said he was not aware of the death until police arrested him.
Mr Frater, 32, who lived with his mother in Cobham Close, just yards from where he was hit by the car, died in hospital from multiple injuries.
Barristers for defence and prosecution closed their cases yesterday afternoon, and the jury retired to consider a verdict.
Jurors will return on Monday for further deliberations.
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