THE Lee McKnight murder trial jury has heard that a “cascade of lies” had fallen from the lips of the youngest defendant, 18-year-old Jamie Lee Roberts.

The claim was put to the jury by Richard Pratt QC, as he delivered his closing speech for the teenager’s fellow defendant Jamie Davison, 26.

The QC told the jury the evidence showed it was Jamie Lee Roberts who went to the Charles Street house armed with a knuckle-duster on July 24 when Mr McKnight was attacked.

“That person chose not to give evidence and one of the consequences is he loses the opportunity to contradict the evidence he disagrees with,” said the QC.

The claim – heard in earlier testimony – that Davison was a “psychopath”, said Mr Pratt, had come from the teenager. “A cascade of lies had fallen from his lips,” he said.

“He was heard to say that Jamie Davison was a psychopath, and so the word psychopath has repeatedly appeared in questions, asked by [another advocate] in the case.

“Remember: the word originated not from any independent evidence but from the lips of an habitual liar, speaking to his former girlfriend; speaking on a prison phone.

"Can you trust a single word from this young man?”

Mr Pratt questioned also why Coral Edgar – accused of luring Mr McKnight, 26, to her Charles Street home so he could be beaten up – would want that to happen.

“Why would she want that blood and anger in her front room?” asked the QC, suggesting there was no advantage for her to see her drug supplier “beaten to a pulp”.

Mr Pratt said the prosecution had “stretched their imagination” to find a motive for Carol Edgar’s involvement.

“What we say is abundantly clear about the evidence of July 24,” added Mr Pratt, “is that something wholly unexpected happened: unexpected to Coral; and unexpected to Jamie Davison.”

Toby Hedworth QC, for Carol Edgar, said she had no interest in preventing Lee McKnight from waking up in hospital. “There’s nothing for her to gain by him being got rid of,” said the QC.

All six defendants – Jamie Davison, of Beverley Rise; Arron Graham, 26, of Blackwell Road; Jamie Lee Roberts, 18, of Grey Street; his father Paul Roberts, 51, also of Grey Street; Coral Edgar, of Charles Street; and her mother Carol, 47, also of Charles Street – deny Mr McKnight’s murder.