A TEENAGER accused of knowingly helping to bury the body of Jayden Parkinson was afraid of his murderer brother and did whatever he told him, a jury was told.

Today the trial of Jake Blakeley, who denies one count of preventing a lawful burial in December 2013, continued at Oxford Crown Court.

The prosecution alleges the teenager, of Venners Water, Didcot, helped his older brother Ben, 23, dig two graves that they both knew would be used to hide Jayden's body.

Last year Ben Blakeley, of Christchurch Road, Reading, was found guilty of murdering his 17-year-old former girlfriend on December 3, 2013, after she told him she was pregnant with his child. 

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh told jurors it is not in dispute that the two brothers dug two holes to bury Jayden's body, one in countryside south of Didcot and another in All Saint's Churchyard in Didcot.

But the barrister said Jake insisted he thought they were initially burying weapons and then a dead cat and a dead dog.

The trial heard from a teenager who knew Jake Blakeley at the time, Daniel Greethurst, who told the jury he was threatened with a hammer by his brother Ben. 

Defence barrister Martin Steen asked: "Was Jake telling him to stop?"

He replied: "That is correct."

Mr Steen said: "Did you get the sense that Jake was scared of Ben?"

Mr Greenhurst: "I did yeah."

The barrister read out a witness statement he gave to police, where he said: "I always got the impression that Jake was scared of Ben and always did what he was told."

The teenager said: "Yeah that's right."

Mr Steen asked: "Scared of his and scared of what he might do?"The witness replied: "Yeah." The trial continues.

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