AN acquaintance of a Cork man accused of murdering identical twin brothers told the Old Bailey in London yesterday that the accused man had confessed to "chopping up" the bodies.
Mr Lawrence Walsh was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Mr David Dillon (38), who has denied murdering brothers Christopher and Anthony Langford in his flat in Islington, London, and dumping their bodies in Regents Canal.
Mr Walsh, who moved to London from Ireland nine years ago, said he had not believed Mr Dillon at first when he spoke of dumping the bodies. He described Mr Dillon's attempts to redecorate his flat a month before the bodies were discovered. The court heard it was then that Mr Walsh told police of Mr Dillon's alleged confession.
Mr Dillon, a painter and decorator, is accused of battering the Langfords (38), to death with a blunt instrument in his flat in Copenhagen Street, Islington, early last year. The prosecution claims he then disposed of their bodies in the canal.
Christopher Langford's body surfaced on March 26th, 1996. The body of his identical twin, Anthony, was recovered eight days later.
Mr Walsh said he had known Mr Dillon and the Langfords since 1994, when he drank with them on the streets. He told the court that he stopped drinking so heavily in late 1995 after getting a job and becoming engaged. He said Mr Dillon would still call on him occasionally.
Mr Walsh said that Mr Dillon had visited him in late February last year. "He told me he thought he had got himself into trouble and that he had turned the twins over - he had killed them. I didn't believe it."
He said Mr Dillon spoke of wrapping the bodies in either a carpet or blanket. "He told me the hands and heads were off and said that he brought them to the canal in shopping trolleys." When asked by Mr Walsh how he had killed the men, Mr Dillon had answered: "With a chopper".
The trial continues today.
