On the last day Neill Buchel was seen alive, two defendants charged with his murder exchanged text messages arranging drinks and “female company”, a court has heard.
Neill, 39, was last seen alive on March 13 last year. His dismembered body was found in White Hart Lakes, Dagenham, on April 1.
Neill’s housemate Scott Hunt, 41, of Braintree Road, Dagenham; Chas Quye, 36, of Stansgate Road, Dagenham; and Elvis Kwiatowski, 36, of Clopton Close, Royston, have denied murdering the dad-of-two.
Alan Quinn, 28, of Lynett Road, Dagenham, and Colin Bushaway, 61, of Gregory Close, Eltham, deny conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Bushaway is also charged with preventing the lawful and decent burial of a body.
On March 13, Kwiatowski sent a text to Quye. David Spens QC, defending Kwiatowski, told the court a message sent at 10.27am was “asking Quye to make sure there’s something to drink and possibly some female company later on in the evening”.
The court heard Quye called Kwiatowski twice at about 9pm on March 13, but these were likely to have been picked up by his voicemail service.
Mr Spens said the communications between the pair suggested they were not together on the last day Neill was seen alive.
When police analyst Melanie Lamb said it was “hard to know” and that the possibility could be drawn, Mr Spens said: “It is common sense, isn’t it?”
The court heard the second call to Kwiatowski was picked up by two different phone masts, one in Chadwell Heath and one in Becontree.
Ms Lamb said this suggested movement, but that it could have been minimal.
On March 14 at 8.17pm, Mr Quinn’s phone records showed his location as White Hart Lane, Collier Row.
Annette Henry, representing Quinn, said this was 3.8 miles from Rush Green Lake and showed he “was not remotely close” to the scene.
The court heard how when Bushaway was arrested, police took two phones from him.
Angus Bunyan, defending Bushaway, said there was no contact between him and the other defendants throughout February, but, on the morning of March 14, both Kwiatowski and Quye attempted to call him.
Prosecutor Sally O’Neil said the sim card from Neill’s phone was “never forensically recovered” and his handset was not recovered.
She said data showed his phone was being redirected to voicemail from March 12.
The trial continues.
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