A 'cunning' fugitive convict battered a dog walker to death before tricking police into arresting an innocent man by leaving his victim's phone in a public place, a court heard today.
Roy Barclay, 56, allegedly took the phone off mother-of-six Anita Rose, 57, along with her distinctive pink jacket, after he attacked her and left her for dead as she walked her dog early one morning.
He later read a media report on his own phone saying how Ms Rose's missing mobile and jacket were 'key' to the police investigation, jurors heard.
Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC told the jury how the report was 'a signal to Roy Barclay that he had to get rid of the phone'.
The defendant, who had been living 'off-grid' for two years to avoid recall to prison for a previous offence, decided to dump it to 'set a false trail for the police, throwing them off his scent'.
