 The man accused of murdering the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury in France has said he accidentally strangled his brother-in-law to death. | Uh huh, happens to me all the time. |
Mohammed M'Barek has told a magistrate in Grasse, south-east France, that 66-year-old Anthony Ashley-Cooper died as a result of a drunken fight. The Dorset earl's lawyer, Philippe Soussi, said Mr M'Barek claimed he did not mean to kill him. | "He's innocent, your Honor! The Earl thrust his neck into my clients hands! He was only trying to fend him off." |
The body of Lord Shaftesbury - who had a home in Hove - was found on 5 April. Mobile phone signals led police to his decomposing remains in countryside between Cannes and Nice. He went missing on the French Riviera in November 2004. He divided his time between Britain and France, where he had homes in Cannes, Versailles and Toulouse.
Mr M'Barek has been under investigation for murder along with his sister, Jamila, who was Lord Shaftesbury's third wife. | A sultry wench whom the Earl met in a club where she was a "entertainer" |
Ms M'Barek has allegedly confessed to playing a part in the 10th earl's disappearance. | Said part being where she lured him to his doom |
Her brother had denied any involvement until being questioned during a court hearing last Wednesday. | "I had nothing to do with it, except the accidental choking part" |
Mr Soussi - who described the death as a "foul crime" - said prosecutors still believed it was a premeditated murder rather than a drunken accident. He added that it would be at least a year before a trial began at a court in Nice. |