Accused man 'had no idea he was a suspect' MURDER TRIAL: Defendant tells why he left country.

Byline: By Barbara Goulden

A MAN accused of murdering a father of two told a jury he had no idea he was even a suspect until a friend told him the police had his DNA and he would be "banged to rights".

Lee Moffitt, aged 40, formerly of Smorrall Lane, Bedworth, denies murdering Gavin Regan.

Yesterday Moffitt told Birmingham Crown Court he had already planned to travel to Romania in search of work before the death of 28-year-old Mr Regan.

The young father died during a brawl in the car park of The Bull pub in Coventry Road, Exhall, while attending a funeral wake on September 28 last year.

He had been stabbed through the liver and heart. The trial has heard how moments before, witnesses had seen Mr Regan - who had earlier been offering to "arm wrestle" some of the mourners - fighting with Moffitt.

But while Moffitt, a former pub manager and boxer, agreed he had arm-wrestled and later fought with Mr Regan, he denied ever having a knife.

He told the court the only knife he saw had been held by his stepfather, Tony Peasland, who was landlord of The Bull.

He said: "I seen Tony (his stepfather) go down the bar and go into the 'glass-up' area. He came out of there and went to below the bar sink. When he stood up I saw him with a knife in his hand. I didn't take any notice of that."

Moffitt, who the prosecution accused of presenting a false image of being bespectacled and softly spoken which was far from reality, was asked whether he knew Mr Regan was dead when he left the country.

"Yes," he replied.

His defence counsel, Chris Hotten, asked Moffitt why he had phoned the police and told them he was flying back to England.

Moffitt said: "A friend told me the police had my DNA and I would be banged to rights."

Moffitt said another reason for leaving the country had been because he didn't want to answer any questions about members of his family.

The trial continues.

CAPTION(S):

VICTIM.. Father-of-two Gavin Regan.