Murder accused claims victim disappeared with drug dealer

Matthew Cherrington denies murdering Romanian-born Miss Pascale, whose body was found dumped in a wheelie bin 100 yards from his home in High Street, West Bromwich.

The 26-year-old was last seen entering Cherrington's home on November 19 last year.

Cherrington, aged 32, said Tommy Ricketts, his dealer, invited Miss Pascale to his home that night.

He told the jury he expected Mr Ricketts to 'try it on' with Miss Pascale.

He said: "I didn't want to stand in the kitchen all night so I finished my sandwich and took a walk to the petrol station to get cigarettes and to give them some time.

"I thought I would give them 30 minutes and then I could say 'finish up and go'."

He added when he went back home there was nobody there and he went to work as usual the following morning.

The jury at Birmingham Crown Court was also told of text messages sent from Cherrington's phone to various sex workers during the afternoon on November 11.

Cherrington told the court the majority of messages were sent by Mr Ricketts. He added Mr Ricketts had come to his house 'seven or eight' times during the day and sold him £10 worth of cannabis.

Cherrington said he sent one of the texts but told the jury it had been a 'joke'.

The text read: 'Hi Mandy. I am Matt in West Bromwich. I am very sexual and always horny lol. I would love to meet up sometime babe."

Cherrington, said: "That is something I would write. You can tell it is something lame, a jokey text message.

"There is a clear difference between that and the other messages. I had no intention of meeting anyone. I never got a reply and that was the end of it."

Cherrington also admitted messaging Miss Pascale on November 11 but said it was merely to inform her Mr Ricketts was not there. He again said the majority of messages were sent by Mr Ricketts.

Michael Burrows, prosecuting, questioned why a phone belonging to Mr Ricketts was detected using a mast near his Wolverhampton home while messages were being exchanged with Miss Pascale, shortly before 6pm.

Cherrington replied: "He would have left midway through those messages. He didn't spend the whole day in my house, he was coming and going.

"He left shortly after four in the afternoon, she continued to text and I continued the messages to say he wasn't here."

The court also heard a drugs pipe was found in the bin with Miss Pascale's body which had traces of Cherrington's DNA. Cherrington told the jury he had never seen or used the pipe.

The trial continues.