A SOLICITOR accused of perverting the course of justice told a witness in a murder case not to go to police with her evidence, a court heard.

Will Hurley, who used to work for Northwich and Winsford solicitors mosshaselhurst, appeared before Preston Crown Court, yesterday, Tuesday, for the opening day of a trial expected to last two weeks.

The 29-year-old was charged in connection with evidence given a t the Jock Straiton murder trial.

In his opening statement, Nigel Power, prosecuting, said the alleged incident revolved around the court case following the murder of Winnington taxi driver, Mr Straiton, who was attacked in the early hours of July 26, 2008, and died on August 9, 2008.

In April last year, Joshua Spruce, from Winnington, was convicted of murdering Mr Straiton and was jailed for a minimum of 15 years alongside his co-defendant Nigel Goolding.

Joshua Spruce is Emma Spruce’s brother and Sharron Spruce’s son and Hurley was in a relationship with Emma Spruce at the time of the incident.

Both Emma and Sharron Spruce also worked for mosshaselhurst. At the time, Emma was a trainee solicitor and Sharron an office manager.

Mr Power told the court that Hurley, a fully qualified solicitor who dealt with criminal cases, visited Joshua Spruce when he was in Middlewich Custody Suite, but decided he would not legally represent him as it was ‘all too close to home’.

At the time of the attack, the Spruces lived next door to the Wilkinson family in Alderley Road, Winnington.

Michelle Wilkinson and her mother Carol also both worked for mosshaselhurst.

The court heard how Michelle Wilkinson woke up at about 2.15am, on July 26, 2008, and overheard a mobile phone conversation taking place in the road outside her house between Joshua Spruce and his friend, Paul Blower. Mr Power said that Michelle heard Joshua Spruce tell Blower: “I don’t know what you are worried about, you didn’t do anything. It was us.”

In another call involving Joshua Spruce, Michelle was said to hear an admission that her neighbour, along with friend Nigel Goolding, had viciously kicked Mr Straiton.

Michelle told her mother what she had heard, and Carol visited the Spruce family and offered to take her daughter to the police station to report the incident.

Hurley is then alleged to have said the information was not relevant to the murder case.

Mr Power said: “Hurley said: ‘you do not need to go to the police station because it is what they call hearsay evidence and it was not relevant.’ “Carol Wilkinson remembers him saying that because she did not know if what she heard was hearsay or not.”

He added that Mrs Wilkinson was also told that the information Michelle overheard was ‘pretty much’ what Joshua Spruce had told the police, but that in fact Joshua did not speak to the police until later that evening.

“It was information that could only have come from him [Hurley],” added Mr Power.

“The prosecution say in telling Carol Wilkinson that the police would not be interested in what her daughter had heard, the defendant did an act which had a tendency to pervert the course of justice and police investigation into Mr Straiton’s attack.

“In doing so, he intended the course of justice would be perverted.”

Hurley has denied any wrongdoing throughout.

In a police interview he said he had not used the word ‘hearsay’ and insisted nobody had said that Michelle’s information would not be valued by police.

The case continues.