12:45
“The pathological evidence shows that Alex had been subjected to a violent repetitive assault with a blunt weapon," the jury are told.
The QC said that at a conservative estimate the pair were in the woods for 35 minutes.
”It was during that time that the prosecution suggest that Alex was subjected to a brutal, horrific and violent attack at the hands of this defendant. Alex may have been in the vehicle at 17.40 but he manifestly was not in the vehicle at 18.25,” said Mr Unsworth.
”Matthew Mason had carried out his attack and had simply left Alex in the woods. If Alex was not dead at that time, the defendant had left him to die.
“This was we suggest was a cold blooded and premeditated murder. The location was chosen by the defendant. If the purpose of going there was to have sex and Alex had seemingly believed it to be, then why, you may ask, did the defendant arm himself with a heavy tool which he used as a deadly weapon?
“As to what precisely happened in the woods, only the defendant knows. When he was eventually arrested, in Staffordshire and later interviewed by Cheshire police, he chose not to say anything. We suggest that he has sat back and waited to see what the evidence can show or establish and will we suggest weave a story around known facts.
“The pathological evidence shows that Alex had been subjected to a violent repetitive assault with a blunt weapon, estimated to have involved the landing of at least 15 separate heavy blows. As we shall see a large part of the defendant’s attack was focused upon the head of Alex.”
13:06
The jurors are told how Mr Mason went to the pub later that night, telling friends he'd had a nosebleed.
The jurors hear that Alex’s phone stopped being used and has not been found.
“You may conclude, as we suggest, that the defendant deliberately took and disposed of Alex’s telephone,” said the QC.
He suggested this was a ‘cunning, deliberate and evasive act, one which was designed, no doubt, to try and conceal the location of Alex, but also one of pure self-preservation for Matthew Mason’.
The QC moves onto the alleged movements of the defendant afterwards. Mr Mason was said to have driven away from the woods and used his telephone to arrange to meet some friends in the Red Lion public house in Pickmere.
He went to a friend’s farmhouse where there were showering facilities in an unlocked outbuilding, the court is told. When the defendant arrived at the pub, he wasn’t wearing a hat as had been seen earlier, and his hair was stuck up as if he had recently removed the hat, the jurors were told.
The QC said Mr Mason told a friend he needed to go to the farm to ‘clean himself up’. He said he had had a nosebleed and pointed to three spots of blood on the left side of his jeans near his pockets, the jurors were told.
The defendant was said to have taken a selfie picture inside the pub and posted it on a group chat on Snapchat. The prosecutor said this suggested the defendant was ‘laying the ground’ for a potential alibi.” He could say that he was with friends that evening at a time when Alexander Rodda went missing,” said the QC
13:12
“He was the one person in the world who knew where that 15-year-old schoolboy was at that time and yet, he did nothing to help Alex," says the prosecutor
The prosecutor told the jury: “He was the one person in the world who knew where that 15-year-old schoolboy was at that time and yet, he did nothing to help Alex, we suggest that his sole priority at that time was for himself.”
Some 30 minutes and one pint later, the defendant said he was going to meet the Young Farmers in the Golden Pheasant public house in Bromley, according to the prosecution. He was said to have arrived at the Golden Pheasant at just after 8pm.
One friend there described him as ‘his normal happy self’, the court hears. He left the pub 90 minutes later, it was said.
That night he sent his girlfriend a goodnight message with a photograph of him smiling in bed with no top on, the prosecutor told the jury.
13:24
The jury hears how Alex's mother made numerous unsuccessful attempts to call her son on the night of the incident.
Alex’s mother Lisa had been going out for a meal at the Roebuck public house in Knutsford with a friend, the court hears.
On her way home she made numerous unsuccessful attempts to call her son, said the prosecutor.
She became worried and then called her son’s friends, the court hears. Lisa and her son’s friends learned that her son had been out with Matthew Mason that night but most of their calls and messages to him weren’t answered, said the QC.
The defendant eventually spoke to one of Alex’s friends and he told her he had dropped Alex off near The Hermitage near Goostrey and Holmes Chapel at about 6pm, and that Alex had said he was going into Manchester with some unnamed friends, said the prosecutor.
Asked why Alex’s phone was dead, he was said to have replied that Alex had asked for a charger but he didn’t have one. Mr Mason also spoke to Alex’s mother Lisa, the court hears. He was said to have told her the same story and offered to go to her house to explain.
“She wanted him nowhere near her. She screamed at him that she was going to call the police,” said the QC.
13:28
The court hears how evidence suggests Mr Mason returned to the woods after receiving a text from the police regarding Alex
The jurors are told that Cheshire Police sent a text message to Matthew Mason’s telephone at 35 minutes past midnight.
It said: “Matthew, could you please contact Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident IML-587082 with regards to your friend Alex. Thank you.”
The prosecutor said that 20 minutes later telephone evidence suggested the defendant left his home address in his Renault Clio and returned to the woods. CCTV images captured his vehicle entering Ashley Mill Lane at 01.09 and it was spotted again at 02.13, the court hears.
Alex’s body would be found by the side of the track in a partially dressed state, his upper clothing gathered around his upper chest and neck area and his trousers and underwear were down around his feet, said Mr Unsworth.
The QC said one inference was that the defendant had tried to move the body but had abandoned the test as Alex was very heavy.
13:30
The trial has now adjourned for lunch
The trial has now adjourned for lunch, with court expected to resume at 2.10pm.
14:31
The trial has resumed. Jurors are shown a series of images from the scene.
The prosecutor has resumed his opening address.
Alex’s body was discovered shortly after 7.30am the next morning by some refuse collectors who were driving down the track towards Rycroft Farm, said the QC.
He was face down and mostly naked when they first saw his body and they alerted the police and the scene was taped off and later examined, he said.
On a pathway was found an ‘extensive blood deposition’ some 20 metres from the body by the attending forensic biologist, the court hears. A Home Office Pathologist attended at the scene and observed that there were a number of head wounds with significant blood loss onto the ground, said the QC.
The jurors are shown a series of images from the scene .The court heard Alexa died from blunt force head injuries.
His body was subjected to a post-mortem examination by Dr Paul Johnson, a Home Office Pathologist.
Multiple lacerations were noted to the scalp and left forehead numbered separately from 1 to 15, the jurors are told. The lacerations were associated with prominent deep scalp bruising and complex right sided skull fracturing, said the QC.The internal examination showed a possible fracture to the hyoid throat bone in the neck with associated bruising.
There were no asphyxial changes in the face or eyelids to support a suggestion of sustained neck pressure but forceful gripping or compression was the ‘most likely explanation’ for the findings, said the QC.
14:56
The court hears how police found a blood-stained wrench, stained clothing, and rope in Mr Masons car following his arrest
Shortly before midday on December 13 the defendant was seen by police in Staffordshire driving on the A41 in the general direction of Telfod, the court is told.
The police caused him to stop, he was arrested and he made no comment when cautioned, said the prosecutor.
Mr Mason appeared to have scratches and grazing to his lower back near to his waistband and also had scratches and cuts to the left side of his face.
He appeared to also have dried blood on his hands and fingers, the court is told. In the boot police found a blood-stained wrench and other items.
Showing the jurors the wrench, the QC said: “This was the weapon used to kill Alex.”
Also in the boot was stained clothing that had been worn by the defendant and a length of rope, the court heard.
The prosecutor repeats that Alex Rodda’s phone was never found.
15:04
The jury hears how Mr Mason was examined for injuries
The suspect was taken to Middlewich police station where he was examined for any injuries, the court is told.
It was noted that he had a mark to the back of his left shoulder, marks to the front of his upper left arm towards his armpit, marks on the front of his left wrist, back of lower left arm, back of right wrist, upper right thigh, below the right knee and on the right lower shin, said the QC.
He went on that there were also marks seen above and below his left knee, over his buttocks and over the back of both hands. There were areas of discolouration on the left upper thigh and towards the side of the knee - although no bruising to the knees, the jurors are told.
A Home Office pathologist had concluded these injuries were ‘entirely typical’of contact between the skin and rough vegetation and surfaces, the court hears.
This could happen in a number of scenarios including falling into vegetation, scuffling and during any dragging of the body, the jurors are told.
The pathologist, the court heard, had seen ‘limited evidence’ of blunt force trauma to the body of the defendant or evidence he had been struck with a spanner.
15:13
CHARLOTTE DOBSON
Defendant is said to have told former girlfriend "I've killed him"
The defendant’s former girlfriend kept in touch with him and she asked him questions about what had happened, the jurors are told.
In an emotional state he is said to have told her: "I’ve killed him."
The QC suggests to the jury this may have been the 'beginnings of an evolving defence'.
15:31
CHARLOTTE DOBSON
Prosecutor explains what's not in dispute to jurors
The prosecutor explains to the jurors what is not a matter of disagreement in the trial: that the defendant and Alexander Rodda knew each other; that the defendant paid monies to Alexander Rodda; that there is evidence that Alexander Rodda demanded monies from the defendant; that the defendant took Alexander Rodda to the wooded area; that the defendant used the wrench to strike Alex.
15:38
CHARLOTTE DOBSON
Prosecutor suggests that defendant 'sought to blame Alex'
Mr Unsworth said, as he understood it, the defence case was that Alex 'had been the aggressor' and that the defendant had 'lost it'.
Also 'not in issue' was that defendant left the scene and later returned and moved the body.
The QC said: "As we understand it, the defence will suggest that Alex was the aggressor in the woods and that the defendant’s actions in the woods do not amount to the offence of murder.
"We suggest that this defendant, who is no longer able to say that Alex went into Manchester with some unknown unidentified people and a dead telephone, is now resorting to Plan B, weaving a story around known facts and actually seeking to blame Alex," said the prosecutor.
15:40
CHARLOTTE DOBSON
"This is a tragic case"
Concluding his opening address, Mr Unsworth said: "On any view, this is a tragic case. It is possible that some may conclude that some aspects of Alex’s behaviour were those of an immature young man who did not cover himself in glory at every turn.
"Even if that is a view that any one of you share, the prosecution contend that that simply does not provide an excuse let alone a defence for what this defendant did. We suggest bluntly that over a period of several weeks if not months in the latter part of 2019, Matthew Mason enjoyed a sexual relationship with Alex Rodda, a 15-year-old schoolboy.
"Over that time, Matthew Mason paid Alex over £2000 in money. You may well think that Matthew Mason didn’t want Alex to tell anyone about their relationship. He manifestly made sure that Alex never could."
15:46
Defence asks jurors to consider the ‘partial defence’ of ‘loss of control’, which the QC said reduces murder to manslaughter
Gordon Cole, QC, defending, then addresses the jurors.
He tells them his client Matthew Mason was studying at Reaseheath College doinga three-year Agricultural Engineering course prior to his arrest.
He had attended Holmes Chapel High School where he sat and passed 9 GCSEs, the court hears. He was working part time at Ashbrooks, a plant and agricultural hire firm, either working in the yard or travelling around doing jobs, said Mr Cole.
Mr Mason lived at Ash Farm in Ollerton, Knutsford,with his mum, dad and two sisters, the jurors were told. The QC said Matthew Mason’was persuaded by Alex Rodda to allow him, Alex Rodda, to perform acts of a sexual nature upon Matthew Mason’
”What followed in the following weeks, was that Alex Rodda started to blackmail Matthew Mason,” said the QC.
The defendant struggled to obtain the money and used cash he borrowed from his family, the court was told.
Mr Cole said that by the beginning of December 2019, ‘Matthew Mason could simply get no more money, yet Alex Rodda continued to ask for money, specifically asking for money on Monday 9th December’.
Alex Rodda threatened to tell everyone about their ‘relationship’ if he didn’t pay, he said.
The defendant agreed to meet Alex and intended to say that this ‘blackmail’ had to stop, the jurors are told. The QC said the violence in the woods had been started by Alex Rodda and that the defendant had to defend himself with a weapon he had taken to ‘frighten’ him.
The jurors were asked to consider the ‘partial defence’ of ‘loss of control’ which the QC said reduces murder to manslaughter.
15:47
Judge asks jury to decide whether Mr Mason was guilty of murder
The judge tells the jurors one of the issues they do not have to consider was who caused Alex Rodda’s death.
He said everyone agreed it was the defendant.
It was their task to decide whether he was guilty of murder.
15:50
A detective constable is now taking the jurors through messages Alex is said to have exchanged with friends
The first witness to be called is Detective Constable Kerry Booth, who is taking the jurors through messages Alex Rodda is said to have exchanged with friends.
The jurors are told that, when one pal questions what he will do if Mr Mason didn’t pay, Alex is said to have replied: “Will tell the fed and and get him on sex offenders.”
The friend is said to have pointed out it was a criminal offence and asked Alex when he would stop.
16:16
The court is told of Alex's unauthorised absences from school
The jurors are told that by November 23 Alex Rodda’s bank account was £533 in credit but by the next day it was down to £486.
He attended school on November 25 but the following day he didn’t attend - this was an unauthorised absence, the jurors are told.
By then his bank account had reduced drastically to £5. Later that week there were more unauthorised absences from school but the court heard it was believed he was on holiday in Amsterdam.
Some £60 was credited to his account by his parents by November 29 while it was believed he was in Holland, the court heard.
On December 6 Matthew Mason’s mobile phone is said to have searched Google ‘what would happen if you kick someone down the stairs’ amongst other searches.
The device was also said to have searched ‘people missing in Cheshire’ twice. The jurors hear that the device also searched for ‘mysteries of Cheshire unsolved deaths of missing people’.
