Mansfield Woodhouse murder accused 'smeared blood on victims'
A man on a drug-fuelled rampage smashed his way into a family's house, stole their car and then ran over and killed an 87-year-old man, a court was told.
Gavin Collins smeared crosses with his blood on the faces of a woman and her children in the house, jurors heard. The 39-year-old then used their car to deliberately run over Terry Radford in Mansfield Woodhouse in April, Nottingham Crown Court was told. Mr Collins denies murder and a number of other offences. James House QC, prosecuting, said Mr Collins, from Addison Street, Tibshelf, Derbyshire, had been tagged and released from prison for burglary just the day before. On 19 April he approached a neighbour "ranting about Jesus" and stole a set of car keys. He then drove "at very high speed" to Skegby in Nottinghamshire and crashed, after which he tried to take another man's car from his drive. Mr House said the defendant told the man: "Do you believe in Jesus, because I am Jesus, and I will kill you if you don't give me the keys." The man resisted and Mr Collins then got into the car of a female motorist who had stopped to see if he needed help. Mr House said the woman was made to drive back the way she had come before being forced out of the car. This vehicle was driven to Mansfield Woodhouse and when Mr Collins crashed it on Worcester Avenue, he went to a nearby house which had a mother and her two young children inside, jurors were told. Mr House said: "He smashed his way into the house using a patio slab. "He smeared the sign of the cross on the window using his own blood from an injury on his hand." He then demanded car keys, threatened to kill the children and drew crosses on their heads with his blood, Mr House said. Taking their car, Mr Collins reversed "quite deliberately and at speed and over a considerable distance" into passerby Mr Radford, who was crushed against a bus shelter, suffering fatal injuries. Mr House said: "It was a deliberate act and an act of murder." The prosecutor said after ramming a police car, Mr Collins drove away but was cornered and quickly arrested. Mr House said vital signs taken by a paramedic, and the defendant's behaviour after arrest, were consistent with him "having taken a synthetic cannabinoid". Mr Collins denies seven charges - two counts of burglary, two of aggravated vehicle taking, one attempted robbery, one kidnapping and one count of murder. The trial continues. Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.