Christopher Hartley murder suspect breaks down in tears

Apr 17 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A MINIBUS driver broke down in tears yesterday as he was quizzed about his alleged involvement in the contract killing of West Yorkshire car dealer Christopher Hartley.

Simon Mullen, who denies murdering the 45-year-old man, was giving evidence for a second day to a jury at Bradford Crown Court when he became visibly distressed during cross-examination by prosecution barrister Alistair MacDonald QC.

Mr MacDonald suggested that Mullen, of South Shields, was upset because his story was unravelling, but the defendant said it was because he was accused of doing something horrendous and his family and girlfriend were sat in the public gallery.

Former offshore worker Mullen, who continued giving his evidence after a short break, is alleged to have gunned down Mr Hartley in a lay-by near Clayton West last September.

But the 39-year-old insisted that he didn’t kill Mr Hartley whom he maintained he had never met.

Although Mr Hartley and his ex-gay lover David Large, 35, had been involved in cars, the jury has heard that a drugs factory for making tablets containing BZP was found in a bungalow belonging to the murder victim after the fatal shooting.

Mullen and Large, of Rona Croft, Rothwell, both deny the murder charge.

Mullen, who was on benefits at the time, has admitted he was involved in transporting regular consignments of the tablets back to the North East in exchange of a fee of £500 a trip.

He maintained that on the night of the killing he had been in West Yorkshire to hand over a £5,000 drugs payment and possibly pick up more tablets.

Mullen said he became involved in the drugs operation through his close friend Large, but on the night of the killing Mullen had been due to meet up with Mr Hartley for the first time because Large had gone to London.