Murder-accused Christopher Guest More Jr ‘befriended gangster to sell story’, trial hears

Christopher Guest More Jr, from Lymm, fled the country following the torture and murder of cannabis dealer Brian Waters, 44, at a Tabley farmhouse in June 2003, a trial at Chester Crown Court heard today, Thursday.

He was wanted for more than 15 years before being detained on a European arrest warrant in Malta in June 2019, having been living under the false identity Andrew Lamb, and was extradited back to the UK in March last year.

Giving evidence, 43-year-old More told the jury he had done work for TV programmes, including with journalist Donal MacIntyre.

He said he would be paid £500 a day for his work, which sometimes involved becoming involved in illegal activities such as drugs, counterfeit money and people smuggling.

More told the court that in 2002 he learnt John Wilson, who went on to be convicted of Mr Waters’ murder, was a police informant.

He said: “John Wilson was very well known, let’s say a big gangster in Manchester.”

Burnt House Farm in Tabley

Asked why he took an offer from an acquaintance to see documents which he claimed confirmed Wilson was an informant, More said: “It’s a brilliant story. I could sell this story on to the media and they’d jump at it.”

The court heard that in 2002 More was approached by a production company working on a Dispatches documentary about cannabis and believed he might be able to find a cannabis farm to film through Wilson.

More said he bought cocaine from Wilson as ‘part of media research’ on him, and during one meeting Wilson asked him to carry out surveillance on Mr Waters.

He said: “He told me that he had been in business with somebody, that they had a deal gone wrong, this person owed him some money and that he wanted to steal cannabis equipment and set up, on his own, a grow.”

More, who the court heard discovered the location of the cannabis farm at Burnt House Farm in Tabley after following Mr Waters’ son Gavin, said he suggested a potential site for Wilson and his associates to set up a new grow with the idea of installing hidden cameras inside.

He said: “This would be 24-hour access to a grow and the comings and goings of that grow. It was a good proposition.”

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Joel Bennathan, representing More, told the jury his client accepted helping to steal the cannabis farm on the morning of June 19, 2003, the day of the murder.

But he said More left the scene when he realised something else was happening before the torture of Suleman Razak, who worked on the cannabis farm, and before the arrival of Mr Waters and his children Gavin and Natalie.

Mr Bennathan said: “Mr More will tell you he was never a part of any plan to use violence, to threaten people, to attack Brian Waters or to attack Suleman Razak.”

Wilson and two other men, James Raven and Otis Matthews, were convicted of Mr Waters' murder following trials between 2004 and 2007.

More denies the murder of Mr Waters and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Waters and Mr Razak.

The trial continues.