Alleged knife killer Mark Meadows paid almost £60 for two blades from a ‘fantasy’ shop in Leeds, a court heard.
The 25-year-old, who together with half-brother Travis Gorton, 20, is accused of stabbing Keith Green to death in Banbury in February, went to Fantasia with lover and co-accused Louise Grieve on August 2, 2021.
A receipt, a copy of which was shown to jurors on Tuesday, showed Meadows – who the jury heard had no previous convictions - used a bank card to pay £57.98 for two knives at the Yorkshire store shortly after midday.
READ MORE: Prosecution begins opening its case in Banbury 'murder' trial
The first, a blue ‘ghost’ knife, cost £19.99. The second, described on the receipt as ‘M&P Ultimate Survival Knife 7” fixed blade’, cost £37.99.
Under cross-examination from Grieve’s barrister Adrian Amer, the detective in charge of the case confirmed from the stand that as well as knives the Fantasia shop sold ‘Marvel, fantasy, warcraft game sort of items’.
The jury was read a summary of an wiitness interview given by Grieve to detectives before she became a suspect in the alleged murder of her partner and the father of two of her children.
In it, she said they had gone to Leeds together. In the shop, he bought her a blue ‘fishing knife’ and he treated himself to a black-handled knife.
“When they broke up, she was worried he would kill himself with the knife,” she told officers. He had trashed his flat and threw out her stuff.
Meadows and his brother, Gorton, are said by prosecutors to have stabbed Mr Green in the back garden of the home in Howard Road that he shared with Grieve and her children.
Three others are in the dock accused of involvement in the plan to murder Mr Green on February 13. They are: Louise Grieve, 38, her son Callum Johnson, 21, and a youth who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Johnson was also initially treated as a witness by detectives. A statement he made four days after the alleged murder was read to the jury by prosecuting counsel Matthew Walsh.
READ MORE: Banbury 'murder' trial hears from eyewitness
He claimed to have previously seen a knife in the side pocket in Meadows’ Amazon delivery van. “I would describe it as a Rambo style knife,” he said. “It’s not the type of knife you see every day.”
The son said he ‘did not like’ Meadows and the only reason he was civil towards him was because he was ‘nice’ to his mum, who Johnson described as his ‘best friend’.
“Keith didn’t really speak about Mark other than to say he was a t**t, which I agree with,” he added.
Johnson told the police that he had been in shock on being told that Mr Green was dead.
Although he was in the house babysitting his younger siblings on the night of the stabbing, he was out buying drugs with uncle Tony Simms when the alleged murder took place.
Earlier in the day, jurors were told about a red and black handled ratchet found and photographed by police crime scene investigators next to the body of Mr Green in the garden of 42 Howard Road.
All five defendants deny murder. The trial continues.
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward
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