THE next-door neighbour of a man accused of murdering Jock Straiton overheard him confess to the attack, a court has heard.

Michelle Wilkinson, 27, told the trial at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday how she heard Joshua Spruce talking on his mobile, saying that he had badly beaten a man that came at him with a hammer.

Ms Wilkinson, who has lived next-door to the Spruce family in Alderley Road, Winnington for 20 years, was woken at around 2.15am, less than an hour after the incident, by the sound of Spruce talking loudly on his front driveway.

Records later revealed he made two calls to co-defendant Paul Blower, 20, and a man called Aaron.

Of the call to Aaron, also known as Azza, she said: “He (Spruce) said that somebody came at them with a hammer and that he had rugby tackled him to the ground.

“He said that him and Nige had badly beaten him and that he was scared because his finger prints would be on the hammer.

“I did hear Josh say that either ‘I’ or ‘Nige’ is covered in blood.”

Of the first call to Blower she said: “I heard him say that the person he was speaking to wasn’t to worry, it was nothing to do with him (Blower).”

Clearly distressed, she refuted claims by the defence that she had concocted a story to protect Paul Blower, who has also been a friend of the family for many years and used to live in Alderley Road before moving to Wincham.

She said: “I wouldn’t be stood here now if I hadn’t heard that conversation.

“It has been the most uncomfortable few months living next door to the Spruce’s and I would not put myself through this for a lie.”

Nigel Goolding, 20, of Winnington, is also on trial for murder.

The case continues.