Wakefield murder-accused 'joked' with man he fatally shot, asking if he 'wanted an aspirin' - trial
The gunman said he was simply “panicking”
A man accused of murdering an intruder with a sawn-off shotgun jokingly asked if he wanted an aspirin as he lay dying, a court has heard.
Adrian Frost gunned down 26-year-old Connor Batty when he and pals forced entry to Frost’s house in Hemsworth in September last year, looking to steal his cannabis grow.
Frost, 61, claims he was acting in self defence. He denies murder and is standing trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Giving evidence this week, Frost was quizzed by prosecutor Tom Storey KC who asked him if he found it “amusing” by asking the stricken Mr Batty: “Do you want an aspirin mate?”
Mr Frost replied: “I did not find it amusing at all. I was in shock. I do not know why I said it.”
The court was told that Frost had also sent out a message to another, saying that Mr Batty was “dead as a post” and even took photos of his body.
Mr Batty was one of three armed men who burst into Mr Frost’s home on Barnsley Road, Hemsworth, on the night of September 11 last year.
They had shouted that they “knew what he had”, referring to the cannabis grow.
Frost dialled 999 and reported a break-in and loaded his illegal 12-bore sawn-off shotgun.
As they came through the door, Frost opened fire, hitting Mr Batty in the chest. The three intruders themselves had a pistol, baseball bat and shears.
The remaining two fled after the shotgun discharge. Mr Batty was pronounced dead a short time later.
A police search of the house unearthed a multitude of weapons, including air rifles, machetes, baseball bats, CS gas canisters and hundreds of rounds of shotgun cartridges.
Three of the four bedrooms had been turned over to growing cannabis.
Frost told the court that people should be able to defend their home if others break in.
He initially said he had slipped and fired the gun towards the intruders, which he later admitted was a lie.
Frost previously entered a guilty pleas to possession of a prohibited firearm and production of Class B drugs, but denies murder.
The trial continues.