Christopher Allbury-Burridge murder trial: Two of four accused previously burgled 3 unoccupied Northamptonshire cannabis farms, jury told

Two of the four men on trial for murdering Christopher Allbury-Burridge in Northampton had previously burgled three unoccupied cannabis farms in Northamptonshire, the jury heard today (Wednesday, August 11).

Joel Cyrus and Calum Farquhar, both from London, had targeted properties in Kettering, Rushden and Wellingborough in the months prior to incident in Raeburn Road where the 33-year-old victim was killed in December.

The pair, plus Jordan Parker and Rakeem Leandre, claim they were there to steal the cannabis plants Mr Allbury-Burridge was growing in his spare bedroom but thought the house would be empty.

Cyrus, the first defendant to take the stand in the trial which started last week, also said a fifth man called Dele had travelled with him as part of the conspiracy.

Simon Pentol QC, defending Cyrus, asked his client about his involvement in the Raeburn Road incident and what led to it as well as his relationship with the other defendants.

"Absolutely not," he replied when asked if he knew of a plot to cause the householder serious harm or death if they put up a fight by Mr Pentol.

Cyrus also denied any knowledge of the knife used by Parker to fatally stab Mr Allbury-Burridge as he tried to force the intruders out of his kitchen, which he claims was an accident.

He said he stayed at the front of the house where he expected someone to open the front door so he could help load the cannabis plants into his car.

Accused of murder and conspiracy to rob are Cyrus, 26, of Whitney Road, Leyton; Farquhar, 24, of Liverpool Road, Leyton; Leandre, 26, of Brewers Court, Norwich; and Parker, 24, of Chingford Road, Walthamstow. Parker has pleaded guilty to possessing a knife.

'Harmless'

Cyrus said he was having financial difficulties in mid-2020 as the coronavirus pandemic meant he was working reduced hours as a customer service assistant at Euston underground station.

He became depressed and was signed off work but not on full pay, so he started providing cash-in-hand taxi services to his friends and associates to make extra money.

Farquhar, who knew about his troubles, told him his drug dealer had offered him the chance to steal cannabis grows from unoccupied properties.

Cyrus said if he needed any help as he thought it would be 'harmless' but purely as a driver as he would not be getting out of his car or breaking in anywhere.

"I am really ashamed of myself for being involved in any to all of it," he told the jury.

Cannabis plant burglaries in Kettering, Rushden and Wellingborough

In autumn 2020, Cyrus was sent a postcode by Farquhar on instant messaging app Snapchat as the first place they would burgle and drove there during the night.

On arrival in Kettering, bags of cannabis plants were placed in the boot of his Vauxhall Astra by unknown men who had travelled with Farquhar.

Cyrus then drove back to London, Farquhar would send him another postcode over Snapchat, where unknown men would take the bags out of the car and into a van and he would be paid £500.

The exact same arrangement happened for the burglary in Rushden but a few months passed before the next burglary in Wellingborough, on the night of December 1.

This time Cyrus had brought 'an extra pair of hands', a man called Dele from Stratford who he had met a few times while on nights-out in Shoreditch and had shared football jokes with on Whatsapp.

Dele had asked the defendant if he knew of any work multiple times before suggesting he 'would be up for unlawful' jobs, so he suggested the cannabis grow thefts which he seemed interested in.

The pair drove to Wellingborough together, arriving at around 2am, and waited for Farquhar to get there with another man, which was not for another half an hour.

This time all four of them left the cars as Cyrus said he had gathered enough confidence and approached the house, which Cyrus described as 'quite run-down' and 'messy'.

Dele threw a brick through a front window and climbed in, before opening the front door for the other three.

Cyrus said he waited there while the others put the cannabis plants into bags for him to take to his car: "The most cannabis I had seen so far in my life."

Once the boot was full, the defendant and Dele went back to London, Dele was dropped off in Romford before Cyrus delivered the cannabis in Leyton, both receiving £500.

The trial continues.