Evidence presented by The Crown “overwhelmingly establishes Julian Felisi is the murderer of Gary Bennett”, a jury was told this morning.

Summing up the case for the prosecution at St Albans Crown Court, Michael Speak told members of the jury they should not be concerned about a lack of a clear motive due to the weight of evidence against the defendant.

Mr Speak reminded the jury that Felisi remained silent during hours of interviews with police after his arrest, only revealing his version of events after he was told about the evidence against him.

Mr Speak said: “The Crown say what he did was deliberately keep his mouth shut and then bide his time in order to construct a series of lies that were attempting to explain the evidence against him. That is what he has constantly done ever since.”

The court was reminded of “the deadly fact” Felisi failed to phone Mr Bennett just minutes after he had allegedly dropped one of the killers off in Bushey “at knife point”.

Mr Speak said: “Even if we accept for a split second, and we don't, that he wasn't able to phone the emergency services, why did he not call his friend who he knew was lying injured in the park just five or six minutes drive away?

“The reality, shocking though it is, is that Mr Felisi, in a period of appalling and consistent anger and brutality, smashed in Gary Bennett's head in that kiosk and murdered him, inflicting such appalling injuries to his head and brain that he knew when he left him he was dead.

“That he had repeatedly struck him - as many as 13 massive blows delivered with an instrument never recovered – and inflicted such traumatic damage to the man's head he knew he had killed him. From that moment his only task was a simple one. To hide at all costs his involvement in this terrible murder.

“A task he undertook with such cool headedness by having the presence of mind to ring his boss and tell him he would be late, to arrive at work with his victim's blood still on his hands. To find it possible to carry out his day's work, concealing from everyone, including his girlfriend, in the next hours, days and weeks, what he had done.”

Mr Speak told the court Felisi's story was “nonsense”, describing the defendant's attempts to explain his actions after the incident as “an insult” to those in the court room.

The court was reminded of the testimony given by Felisi involving the “extraordinary switching of clothing” which the defendant used to explain why just two figures were picked up on the CCTV cameras at the park.

Mr Speak also pointed to Felisi's testimony in which he claimed he was unable to hear anything said in his car after he picked up the two Irishmen as his window was down.

The barrister described the “miraculous window” as being “closed enough that no rain was coming in to the car, open enough to stop Mr Felisi hearing anything, but still closed enough that he was so hot he had to take his high-vis jacket off before going into the park”.

The court was reminded of one moment while Felisi was on the stand when he “revealed for the first time to us that after seeing him in the park, he realised he had Gary Bennett's blood on his hands”.

Mr Speak told the court: “You could almost see him absorb the information being put to him that he would somehow have to come up with a new explanation as to how Mr Bennett's blood came into his boot.”

The court was reminded of the “complete coincidence” that Felisi was told to stop in a lay-by he himself knew, and regularly used, as an entrance to the park.

The prosecution also explored the possibility previous attempts by Mr Felisi to pick up Mr Bennett “for other tobacco deals” in fact represented occasions where the victim refused to go along with the defendant's “pestering to take him into a situation he felt uncomfortable with”.

Mr Speak added: “The evidence that exists overwhelmingly establishes that Julian Felisi is guilty. If you are satisfied of that, you will convict him.”

The defence is due to give its closing statements tomorrow.