Murder victim Gary Bennett's blood was found on items in the boot of suspect Julian Felisi's car, a jury heard this morning.

DNA tests revealed a rucksack and a plastic bag owned by the defendant were found to contain traces of the popular Watford bin man's blood, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Mr Bennett, 47, of Little Oxhey Lane, Watford, was found dead with severe head injuries, near a disused kiosk in Aldenham Country Park, on the morning of Wednesday, February 24.

At court this morning, the jury was shown CCTV footage that captured two blobs of light moving in the direction of the park kiosk at 5.31am.

Due to the low quality of the images, police carried out a re-enactment with two men in high visibility jackets walking along the same route - the camera showed exactly the same images.

This, the prosecution said, proved the camera showed two people in high-visibility jackets walking in to the park at 5.31am and just one figure returning at 5.45am.

Prosecution barrister Michael Speak told the jury they would later be shown CCTV footage from several cameras capturing, what the prosecution claim to be, Mr Felisi's car passing the scene and parking between 5.03am and 5.26am.

Mr Speak said: “The Crown argues that the images show the defendant arriving in his car, leading Mr Bennett into the park to meet his death, and then leaving on his own having murdered him.”

Evidence is also due to be shown to the jury with regards to a phone call made my Mr Felisi, at 5.58am, to his work explaining that he would be late that morning.

Images of the murder scene showing a blood-splattered pillar at the disused kiosk, where Mr Bennett was found, were also shown to the jury.

The court was told expert examinations on the blood's distribution found it was in keeping with an attack being carried out on Mr Bennett when his head was very close to the ground.

Mr Bennett and Mr Felisi, of Whippendell Road, both worked as bin men for Watford Borough Council, at the Wiggenhall Road depot.

A statement by Mr Bennett's 81-year-old mother, with whom he lived, is due to be read out in court this afternoon and a number of employees from the waste depot are due to give evidence.

Mr Bennett was missing his mobile phone, a wallet containing several hundred pounds and a chain worth about £1,400 when he was found.

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