A MURDER trial has started at Oxford Crown Court after the death of a 30-year-old man found in a poplar bathing spot two years ago.
Jorge Martin Carreno was found in the water at Parsons Pleasure, a popular bathing spot, on July 26, 2021.
He was last seen by friends in the early hours of July 25 when he had been out socialising and drinking at pubs in the city centre.
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Scarlet Blake, 25, of Crotch Crescent, was arrested in August last year and charged with his murder after a tip-off to police.
A trial has begun at Oxford Crown Court this week where Blake has denied any involvement in Mr Carreno’s death.
Who was Jorge Carreno?
The court heard that Mr Carreno was a Spanish man who moved to Oxford with his girlfriend in 2019.
He worked in the automotive logistics, based at the BMW plant in Oxford, and lived at an address in Cowley.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC described Mr Carreno as being an ‘active person’ who was ‘looking forward to his future’.
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A jury heard he enjoyed kayaking and rock climbing.
Mr Carreno’s family pushed for police to keep investigating his death after an inquest in 2022 concluded his death was ‘open-ended’ due to a lack of evidence.
The trial into his death, which opened on Wednesday (February 7) is expected to last three weeks.
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