West Bromwich car jacking trial: Accused was 'cooling off' after argument with dad

Andrew Jones, of West Bromwich, denies the attack on 79-year-old Reginald Stocking, which took place on May 10 this year, and left the grandfather-of-three with brain damage.

Jones, 34, of Manley Close, West Bromwich, took the stand at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday on the sixth day of his trial.

He told the jury he and partner Stacey Johnson had spent the day at her flat taking heroin and crack cocaine but had run out of drugs by the afternoon.

Jones said he and Miss Johnson had gone to his father's home to ask if he could lend them some money to buy more. He refused and the pair had returned to the flat.

But Jones had gone out after 8pm on the same day to visit his father again.

"Sometimes he is a bit funny about lending me money if Stacey is there so I thought if I went on my own he may give me some. He did not have any money for me."

Jones admitted he and his father had got into an argument about him getting back on drugs after being clean for three months.

He told the court he had recently been released from prison for an earlier matter where he had been able to free himself from his addiction.

"It was a heated argument with my father. He was unhappy because I had been clean for three months and I was back on them.

"After that I went for a walk to cool off."

He told the jury the walk had taken him down Chapel Street, where the attack took place, but he had simply carried on back in the direction of his father's home.

Jones denied he was the man a witness had seen standing near to a lamppost along the street just before the car jacking took place.

Mr Jas Mann, defending, said: "Did you rob Mr Stocking of his car?" Jones responded: "No."

Giving evidence before the court last week, Jones's ex-partner Stacey Johnson said he had called her and said he had 'jacked a man'.

But Jones refuted this saying such a conversation had never taken place. He said calls made between them had been to make arrangements with a regular drug dealer.

Jones also denied stealing a TV from an address in Groveland Road, Dudley Port, just hours later.

He told the jury he had been in Dudley Port but had only visited a 24-hour garage.

And he said an object he was caught bringing back to Miss Johnson's flat on CCTV was not a TV but a mirror. He admitted asking her to bring down a duvet with which to cover it.

"It was not a TV it was a mirror. I found it in a skip."

He denies robbery, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, burglary and witness intimidation.

The trial continues.