Jurors in the Barton ‘murder’ trial heard about the workings of the drugs trade.
Lewis Brown, 20, is accused of murdering 39-year-old Lee Butler in a park off Bayswater Road on October 8 last year.
Prosecutors claim he was one of the main men in the ‘Bob’ drugs line, which operated on the Barton estate. Mr Butler, it is alleged, was stabbed because he’d been ‘chatting s***’ about the quality of the Bob line’s produce. Brown, conversely, claims he acted in self-defence and Mr Butler had tried to rob him.
LIVE BLOGS DAY BY DAY
- Day 1: Jury sworn in
- Day 2: Prosecution opens its case
- Day 3: Addicts on 'Bob' line
- Day 4: Eyewitness gives evidence
- Day 5: Pathologist in the stand
- Day 6: 'I only stabbed him once'
On Tuesday, jurors in Brown’s trial at Oxford Crown Court heard from Thames Valley Police drugs expert Bryn Lewis.
He explained that there were several tiers to the drug dealing world. The drugs would be imported then distributed to a series of regional suppliers. They sold the product on to ‘local’ suppliers who, in turn, supplied street-level dealers.
Mr Lewis told Brown’s barrister, Frida Hussain QC, that those street-level dealers could be anyone including ‘heroin and crack cocaine users, kids, anybody’.
He explained that County Lines groups, the phenomenon of city gangs taking over the drug trade in smaller towns and cities, might send runners from the gang’s own city day-to-day or take over an addict’s home in a process known as cuckooing.
Jurors heard last week that Brown was expected to say he was acting under direction from more sophisticated criminals higher-up the chain.
Ms Hussain asked Mr Lewis about the level of violence that might be exerted by the groups in order to force people to, for example, house runners.
Some people might be subjected to violence, Mr Lewis said.
But the police expert went on to tell prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson that not all those involved in selling drugs did so under fear of violence.
Mr Lewis said: “I see so many examples where they’re actually discussing wages – how much they’re going to be paid for doing the job. They’re doing it for reward it’s not always necessarily violence.”
He translated a number of messages found on the phones of Mr Butler, the alleged victim, and eyewitness Donna Osbourne – who was with him when he was stabbed.
They included advertising messages from the ‘Bob’ line, which Mr Lewis said was an acronym meaning ‘best of both’ heroin and crack cocaine.
On July 10, three months before Mr Butler’s death, a message went out: “Bob’s live. Three for 20. Power stuff.” Another read: “Bob live all night no sleep eight deals for £50 tonight only.”
‘Live’ referred to the line being available for orders, Mr Lewis said. The drugs were commonly sold as special offers with, for example, three wraps for £20.
Another message, which Mr Lewis was unable to translate, read: “Rex new n BBL.” Prosecutors suggest that ‘Rex’ was another nickname for Brown, although the defendant denies it.
Asked by Ms Hussain what ‘BBL’ meant, the expert suggested that ‘B’ could mean ‘brown’ or slang for heroin and ‘L’ light or slang for crack cocaine. He emphasised it was only a suggestion.
Brown, of Barton Village Road, Oxford, denies murder and possession of a blade. The trial continues.
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