Stephen Farrow trial: Vicar's killer 'had nails in rucksack'

A MAN who claimed he wanted to crucify a Thornbury vicar he admits killing was found to have a bag of large nails in his rucksack, a court heard.

Police found the nails in Stephen Farrow's rucksack recovered from Crapham Barn, near Eastbourne, where he stayed before his arrest in Folkestone on February 19.

Bristol Crown Court was told the rucksack also contained personal items including a torch and Blackberry mobile phone charger and nearby was a notebook and binoculars.

Farrow, 48, admits that, over last Christmas last year, he burgled Vine Cottage in Thornbury.

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But he denies that he went on to murder 77-year-old Betty Yates at her home in Worcestershire in January.

Though he admits the manslaughter of the Rev John Suddards, 59, he denies murdering the cleric at his vicarage in February.

He attended court for the first days of his trial but has latterly declined to attend.

A jury has heard Farrow told mental health nurse Richard Evans he had thought about crucifying Mr Suddards before killing him and watching him die.

Mr Evans said Farrow told him: "He told me he watched him die and there was a significant amount of blood. He said it was about 7pm and he spent time trashing the house to make it look like a burglary had taken place.

"He said he arranged items around the body, such as a mirror and a picture of Christ next to the body.

"He did mention he had written 'help' behind the picture in the living room. He was not sure if the police had seen that."

The jury was shown several knives recovered from retired teacher Ms Yates' home, including an alleged murder weapon.

Further exhibits presented included a cap from a bottle of Kronenbourg 1664 lager, recovered from the vicarage, which yielded Farrow's DNA.

Tina Wilkes has told the court she met Farrow through her son and Farrow would call at her Folkestone home.

She described how she and her son saw Farrow was a wanted man in a TV news report, and when Farrow called at her home she managed to nip out and call her son and the police.

She said that she kept him talking for some four hours before police came and arrested him.

She said: "He talked about the church and Christians. He said he was abused when he was younger. I got the impression it was someone at the church or a church member."

The trial resumes on Monday.