Murder accused says bet 'a joke'

14 July 2011 Last updated at 13:48 GMT Rebecca Aylward's body was found in woodland near Bridgend A 16-year-old youth who denies murdering his ex-girlfriend said he joked about killing her as a bet for a free breakfast but never meant it.

Rebecca Aylward, 15, of Maesteg, was found dead in woods in Aberkenfig, near Bridgend, south Wales, in October 2010.

Giving evidence in his own defence the boy told Swansea Crown Court he would often speak about wanting to kill her.

He claims it was his best friend who carried out the killing.

The defendant started his own evidence by admitting he often talked about killing her - but denied ever meaning it.

His barrister, Peter Rouch QC, asked him: "Did you say you could kill Rebecca?"

The teenager answered: "Yes I said it more than once - I probably said it about most people."

Mr Rouch asked: "Did you have any intention of hurting or killing Rebecca?"

The defendant answered: "No."

The boy told a jury: "I said I hated Rebecca sometimes. That is when my friend turned to me and said 'get rid of her then. Just do it'."

"I was laughing first of all. Then he said 'you probably couldn't do it anyway'."

"But I said yes I could. My friend told me 'seriously just go through with something you've said for once'."

"He said 'I'll tell you something - if it does happen I will buy you breakfast'. I said you're on."

Mr Rouch asked him: "Where you serious?"

The boy answered: "No. No-one kills for a breakfast."

Neck break

When asked if he said he would push Rebecca into a quarry the teenager laughed and said: "Probably, yeah."

Mr Rouch asked: "Did you say you could break her neck?"

He answered: "I said it about people - I'm not sure if I said it about Rebecca."

Mr Rouch asked him whether he used the word 'hate' a lot.

The boy answered: "Yes, but sometimes if I don't like my food I would say I hate it. I've probably said I hate most people over the course of the year.

"It was a word I would use and I meant at that moment I disliked them and didn't want to spend anymore time with them at that moment."

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, denies Rebecca's murder in woodlands.

The jury was told the schoolgirl died of head injuries.

She was found still wearing new clothes bought for her the day before her death.

The trial continues.

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Election watchdog accused of mess

7 July 2011 Last updated at 13:30 GMT Aled Roberts had been barred from the assembly for being a member of the Valuation Tribunal for Wales The elections watchdog has been criticised for its handling of the case of a disqualified Welsh assembly member.

One Plaid Cymru AM said a late intervention by the Electoral Commission has created an "absolute mess".

Lib Dem AM Aled Roberts was reinstated after downloading out-of-date election guidance in Welsh from the commission.

It found no hits to the online guidance but said statistics were unreliable.

A report had found newly-elected AM for North Wales Aled Roberts was misled after reading out-of-date guidance for candidates on the Electoral Commission's website.

Mr Roberts returned to work in Cardiff Bay on Thursday after AMs voted to lift his disqualification in May.

But later, the Commission said it has no record of visits to the website Mr Roberts says he used, although it admitted its statistics were unreliable.

Plaid AM Simon Thomas, who had abstained from the vote on Mr Roberts' future, said he was "flabbergasted" by the Commission's intervention after the vote and said the watchdog was not fit for purpose.

"We are left now with an absolute mess," he said.

Continue reading the main story

From talking to AMs across the political parties there's very little confidence in the Electoral Commission ”

End Quote Elin Jones AM Plaid Cymru Mr Roberts, former leader of Wrexham council, stood down a fortnight after May's assembly election.

It emerged he was a member of the Valuation Tribunal for Wales, which deals with appeals about business rates and council tax, and is a public body from which AMs are barred.

A investigation by assembly standards commissioner Gerard Elias QC found Mr Roberts "did everything that he could have reasonably been expected to do" in checking he was eligible to stand for election.

'Very little confidence'

He relied on outdated advice provided online in Welsh by the Electoral Commission, the report said.

AMs lifted his disqualification by 30 votes to 20 in the Senedd on Wednesday, with three abstaining.

Following the vote, the Electoral Commission said its English language web pages received about 143 hits at the time in question, but no one accessed the Welsh version.

But it added in a statement: "As we made clear to Mr Elias we do not believe they (the statistics) are a reliable guide to whether or not individuals used our website and this is reflected in the conclusions in his report."

Mr Elias's report says: "The Electoral Commission is unable to confirm or deny that its website Welsh pages were visited that day."

Another AM who abstained, Plaid Cymru's Elin Jones, said there should be another investigation into the matter.

She said: "Why the Electoral Commission chose to release additional information after the vote is beyond me.

"It's irresponsible on their part to do that. It's not fair on all of us as assembly members who had to vote yesterday and it's certainly not fair on Aled Roberts."

Continue reading the main story The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK ParliamentIt has offices in Wales, as well as London, Scotland and Northern IrelandIts aims are for "integrity and public confidence" in the democratic processIts role includes regulating party and election finance and setting standards for well-run electionsIt sets the standards for electoral registration and running elections and reports back on how well this is doneShe added: "From talking to AMs across the political parties there's very little confidence in the Electoral Commission within the political parties and elected members here in the assembly at this point."

Conservative AM Darren Millar, who voted against reinstating Mr Roberts, said he had written to the assembly's presiding officer asking for an opportunity to revisit Wednesday's vote.

Mr Roberts said: "A link was sent out on 24 March from the Electoral Commission to the county councils and the Welsh link was wrong. I did look at it.

"If their figures aren't reliable, then that's a matter for them.

"But I know what I did, and that's the evidence I gave to Mr Elias."

Mr Roberts was one of two disqualified Lib Dems.

John Dixon, elected for the South Wales Central region, will not return after he failed to read the relevant regulations as a candidate.

He was replaced as an AM by Eluned Parrott, the party's second-place candidate in the region.

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