Reading station murder trial: Defendant said he wishes he walked away

Kirkpatrick Virgo, of Whitby Road, Slough, admitted the manslaughter of Thomas Parker who died on platform eight just before midnight on July 30 last year.

The 42-year-old also pleaded guilty to the possession of an offensive weapon during an appearance but denies murder.

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At Reading Crown Court yesterday (March 27), Virgo took to the witness stand to give evidence. The court had already heard that Mr Parker had been travelling back from London with his brother Craig and two friends when Virgo and two others got on the train and started playing ‘loud rap music’ from a boombox.

An altercation took place and when the train pulled into Reading, the altercation continued leading to Virgo hitting Mr Parker on the back of the head with the horseshoe behind a pillar.

Virgo told the twelve-strong jury he ‘did not intend to kill anyone’, he had only meant to cause Mr Parker ‘some harm’ in retaliation to allegedly being called a ‘black c***’.

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However, prosecutor Tahir Khan rejected Virgo’s defence saying it is the Crown’s case that the defendant had followed Mr Parker and intended to cause a serious injury.

He said: “I put the prosecution’s case to you this way. When you got off the train, your intention was to go after the Parker group, and that’s what you did, and in that area behind the pillar when Thomas Parker and Adam May went past you, you struck Thomas Parker with that heavy weapon intending to cause harm at least very serious injury.”

Virgo responded: “I disagree. If I went there with that intention, Craig Parker would have been an easier target.

“He was bending down puking up and if that was my intention I’d go after him, not his brother? I didn’t target [Mr Parker].”

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Mr Khan pointed to Virgo that in the CCTV there was no one behind him when the alleged ‘verbal abuse’ started behind the pillar between him and Mr Parker and said asked if he had left that would ‘have been the end of it’.

Virgo agreed, saying: “None of this would have happened. I should have [turned away]. I wouldn’t have been in this position.

“I went after no one. I didn’t follow them.”

The trial continues with the jury expected to retire today (March 28).

Slough Observer | News