The girlfriend of the man accused of murdering missing drug dealer Gary Hampson gathered statements and wrote letters to try to point the blame elsewhere.
Linda Rosenberg, whose boyfriend Dan Alexander denies murdering Mr Hampson, wrote to his alleged accomplice Roy Bartup in prison, telling him ‘We have to get our story straight’.
A jury at Hove Crown Court yesterday (November 21) heard recordings of phone calls made from Alexander to Rosenberg while he was on remand in Winchester Prison, and was read letters allegedly sent to Bartup by Rosenberg.
Mr Hampson, a 43-year-old originally from Liverpool, went missing in January last year and has not been seen since.
Alexander, 61, was his business partner at the Kop Cars garage in Little Western Street, Brighton.
Perverting the course of justice
He is accused of murdering Mr Hampson and perverting the course of justice by getting rid of his body.
Bartup, 58, of Natal Road, Brighton, Alan Topping, 49, of no fixed address, and Rosenberg, 67, of Montpelier Road, Brighton, have denied perverting the course of justice.
Hove Crown Court heard recordings of calls made from Alexander to Rosenberg from Winchester Prison, where he was awaiting trial at the end of last year.
Rosenberg told Alexander that Bartup had confessed his involvement.
She said: “Roy bragged about what he did all over London. He was staying with two girls, he was bragging about what he did, in front of friends as well. They have both given me statements.”
Bartup was also at Winchester. On January 3, prison officers opened a letter to him from Rosenberg, under the name Lynn Stevenson.
She told him she needed to visit him.
She said: “I’m holding three statements here from people in London who you confessed the murder to.
“I have a way of getting you out of it and onto others but we have to have our story straight.”
Later that month, when prison officers searched Bartup’s cell, they found another letter from Rosenberg suggesting that Bartup had hit Mr Hampson with a paperweight in self-defence after breaking up a fight between Mr Hampson and Alexander.
She said that “Scousers” who were looking for Mr Hampson arrived and took him away.
The trial continues.
'Scousers' blamed for Brighton dealer's death
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