A TV repair man today (MON) blamed his best pal fo

A TV repair man today (MON) blamed his best pal for murdering a young mum and hacking her body into pieces.

Keith Valentine, 40, said he had previously admitted carrying out the gruesome killing because he was ‘covering up’ for his friend.

He said he had seen Gary Charge, 32, mopping up fluid from his living room carpet, and later discovered a blood-soaked tissue in the bin.

Valentine is said to have murdered mother-of-four Isabelle Lewis before butchering the corpse and dumping the remains on a golf course.

It is claimed that Valentine shot and stabbed Miss Lewis, 38, and carved a cross into her forehead.

The body was only discovered weeks later after horrified golfers found dismembered parts on the Addington Court course in Surrey.

Valentine, who lived in the flat above Miss Lewis, was arrested for the killing, and initially admitted it, claiming he shot the victim by accident, panicked, and disposed of the body.

But today, in echoes of the trial in Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Valentine claimed he cannot fire a gun because his left arm is withered and almost useless due to his cerebral palsy.

And, in a shocking turnaround, he blamed his best pal Mr Charge for the killing.

Valentine, who is separated from his wife, said he often left Mr Charge alone at his flat in Lodge Lane, New Addington, Surrey.

On September 1, 1998, he said he had been shopping for around three hours when he returned to the flat where Mr Charge was waiting.

Valentine said: ‘When I went into the living room, I found the gun on the floor.

Gary said he wondered if I had cleaned it.

‘I put it back in the cupboard.

In the living room, Gary was mopping up something from the carpet.

He went into the kitchen and there was some rustling about.

‘It looked like he was mopping up coffee stains, but after he left I went through the rubbish bins and found a tissue with blood stains.

‘I saw Gary later and told him police had been around asking questions about Isabelle, and he said ”Ooh”.

He then went missing for a day or so.

‘He often does that.

He would say he has got another job or mission to do, and then go off.

‘

Asked by his defence QC Nicholas Purnell why he later lied to police and admitted shooting Miss Lewis, Valentine replied: ‘I was covering up for Gary.

I didn’t want to get him into trouble.

‘I was feeling a bit low at the time (of the police interviews).

I was feeling like I was going to have a fit.

I was shaking and my eye-level was out.

‘Gary is one of by best mates, and I have never had any close friends before.

‘

Valentine added that Mr Charge’s body-language on the day of the killing – when he was cleaning up the ‘coffee stain’ – made him suspicious.

He told the jury: ‘If Gary has done anything wrong he acts strange, not the same way as normal.

‘He was mopping up the carpet and shaking.

He looked at me and said ”I want to go now”.

It was strange.

‘

Belfast-born Miss Lewis’ body was so badly decomposed that it took weeks to identify it as human, and the exact cause of death could not be established.

Valentine, of Lodge Lane, New Addington, denies murder and perverting the course of justice by disposing of the body.

The trial continues.

ends