Murder Trial: Defence counsel deny murder charge

“It isn't, and never was, murder” – that’s what the jury in the trial of a Castletown man standing trial for murder has been told.

Yesterday at Douglas Courthouse both the prosecution and defence counsels closed their cases in the trial of 46-year-old Ian Anderson.

The body of 60-year-old Neil Roberts was found at Anderson’s home in the early hours of December 1^st 2013 having suffered what the prosecution described as “catastrophic” injuries.

The previous evening Anderson had picked Mr Roberts up and gone to the pub with him after he claimed he crashed his car – despite the fact he knew he’d been having an affair with his wife.

Describing the Ballabeg man as “highly manipulative” Anderson’s advocate said Mr Roberts could have been trying to “engineer a situation” to meet with him.

This, she said, was due to the fact Anderson planned to make his wife leave their property – a property which Mr Roberts had been living at during the week after being made homeless.

When the two men returned to the house that night Anderson got confirmation of the affair when his wife and Mr Roberts confirmed they were in love.

Asking the jury to consider the effect this had on Anderson she told them he’d been repeatedly told by his “best friend” that there was nothing going on but then found out he’d been lied to.

This, she said, meant Anderson “found himself in a situation” where he inflicted the injuries on Mr Roberts – inviting the jury to consider partial defences of provocation or diminished responsibility.

“He just couldn’t take it anymore – his personality disorder kicked in and took away responsibility for his actions,” she said.

Ian Anderson denies murder – the trial continues.