Accused thought soldier's death 'just Brecon rumours'

A JURY has heard police interviews with two men from Brecon on trial over the death of a soldier on a night out in the town.

Jake Vallely, who is 24 and from Pen y Bryn, is accused of the murder of Private Matthew Boyd while his friend Aaeron Evans, aged 23 and from Cradoc Close, is charged with manslaughter.

Both were arrested on Sunday, May 8 this year in the hours after the 20-year-old, who was born in Northern Ireland and serving in the British Army’s Royal Gibraltar Regiment, died after being found lying unconscious in Lion Street next to Brecon Guildhall.

Detective Constable Noel Blakeman, of Dyfed Powys Police, who interviewed both defendants read transcripts of their interviews to the jury.

During the interviews he also questioned Vallely about phone messages he’d sent to his cousin that Sunday morning after they’d both walked back into town, at around 5.30am, having watched an Amir Khan boxing fight in the early hours with Evans at his girlfriend’s home – and found a police cordon around Lion Street.

In the messages Vallely had questioned whether there is CCTV covering an area of Lion Street and one that read: "We are going down for that, if he’s that bad." He also asked if he should hand himself in "or wait for them to find us".

But he’d told police he’d thought reports a man had died were "just Brecon rumours".

Vallely was arrested after he’d called his boxing coach, who is also a police officer, and asked him to visit him at the Ardent Gallery in High Street where he was in work. His coach, Detective Dave Gilbert, who wasn’t working that day, discovered a serious incident had occurred and told Vallely he should come to the police station where he was arrested.

Vallely answered no comment to a number of questions, including about his boxing experience. He also claimed Pte Boyd had punched him twice to the back of his head and replied "no comment" when asked if he’d suffered an injury. He shock his when DC Blakeman asked if he could show him where he’d been hit.

During a later interview Vallely, who had originally told Mr Gilbert he’d chased Pte Boyd down Lion Street and that the soldier had fallen, confirmed he was the man seen on CCTV wearing white trainers in a struggle with Pte Boyd.

He told police he hadn’t remembered the struggle but said he could remember Pte Boyd trying to "grab his leg" and him trying to free himself. He said once he’d done so he ran off, back to the Cellar Bar where he’d earlier been drinking. He claimed he’d seen Pte Boyd getting back on "all fours" so had assumed he was OK.

He said in interview: "I remember checking he was alright, he was 100 per cent. I did s*** myself a bit when I noticed he was unconscious.

"When I was looking at him he came to. When I left he was conscious. He was alright he was grabbing at my legs, that’s when I got away I thought he’d come at me again."

Vallely said he’d got about 25 metres away when he looked back: "I looked back and he’d got up on all fours. I remember him getting up."

The jury was told at the end of the prosecution case it is an agreed fact there is no footage of Matthew Boyd moving between Jake Vallely leaving the scene and the passer-by who found him lying at the junction calling an ambulance.

DC Blakeman described Vallely’s interview as "tense" and "emotional" and asked by Peter Rouch QC, defending, if Vallely cried during interview the detective said: "I believe so".

Vallely had also said Pte Boyd had smashed or dropped a glass near Evans’ feet in Lion Street and said he’d intervened in a confrontation between the soldier and his friend. He claimed Pte Boyd had hit him after he walked him down Lion Street.

In his interview Evans said there had been an argument between all three in Lion Street but said it hadn’t seemed aggressive to him and denied Vallely had to stand between him and Pte Boyd. Evans was seen on CCTV returning to the Cellar Bar but said he hadn’t seen any violence between his friend and Pte Boyd.

It confirmed Evans was originally charged with affray, then assault occasioning actual bodily harm and then manslaughter and the jury was also told he has previous convictions for common assault, battery, unlawful wounding and affray.

The case continues.