A MURDER suspect tried to flee the scene of his crime as two friends attempted to stop him, a court heard. 

Anthony Wheaton is on trial for the murder of Gerald ‘Gee’ Smith, a charge which he denies. 

Reading Crown Court has heard during the trial that Wheaton, 24 allegedly dealt a fatal stab wound to Mr Smith, 29 on November 25, 2017. 

The jury was shown CCTV footage of Wheaton ‘fleeing the scene’ in his black Range Rover car, as two friends attempted to stop him.

Wheaton was seen on the CCTV getting into his Range Rover, before driving up the road, performing a U-turn, and driving away from Dart Close. 

The jury heard that he drove to a friend’s house in Reading, before handing himself into police in the early hours of the morning. 

It is alleged that Wheaton stabbed the amateur boxer after a family dispute and the jury heard the pair were ‘like cousins’.

Mr Smith died as a result of two stab wounds to the heart, and had sustained other knife-related injuries.

The jury heard how Wheaton had gone to Mr Smith’s sister’s house and an altercation took place.

When Mr Smith’s sister said she would call for her brother, Wheaton replied ‘I’ll kill him’, the court heard.

The court heard from a number of witnesses who were around at the time or shortly after the incident.

Speaking from behind a screen, one of Ms Cook’s neighbours, Beverley Bessell, explained that he had been informed by Mr Smith’s sister, Molly, that her brother had died.

She said: “I could hear shouting and children screaming [Coming from the direction of Molly’s house]

“The lights were on and the front door was open, which was unusual because the children would usually be in bed at that time.

“I heard someone shouting ‘I’m going to call Gee and tell him to come round’.

“The next morning Molly came around and told us what had happened.”

The trial continues.