An alcoholic accused of murdering a man in an Ipswich park has told a court that his girlfriend was responsible for the attack.

Giving evidence at his trial at Ipswich Crown Court, Christopher Wilson claimed he saw 26-year-old Deanna Stanton kicking and stamping on Christopher Thompson, whose body was found in Chantry Park in November last year.

Wilson, 34, told the court he tried to pull Stanton away from 35-year-old Mr Thompson but she wouldn’t stop attacking him.

“He looked like he was unconscious. There was blood on his face but I wasn’t sure where it was coming from,” said Wilson.

Wilson claimed that Stanton asked him to help her pull Mr Thompson to a duck pond in the park and although he initially refused he agreed to help her because she said she was scared of getting caught.

Asked by his barrister Patrica Lynch QC why he hadn’t got help he said: “She (Stanton) wouldn’t let me. She said if I rang the police or ambulance I would lose her.”

Wilson said that after leaving Chantry Park he and Stanton had gone to a friend’s flat in Vernon Street and Stanton had told him she had checked Mr Thompson’s pulse but couldn’t find one.

Wilson said he had agreed to take the blame for killing Mr Thompson because he loved Stanton and didn’t want her to get into trouble.

He said he and Stanton had been given clean trousers to wear while they were at the flat in Vernon Street and when they left Stanton dumped the clothing they had been wearing in some bushes.

He said that Mr Thompson’s blood that was found on his jeans had come from Stanton sitting on his lap and denied it had come from him getting Mr Thompson in a headlock.

Wilson and Stanton, both of no fixed address, have denied murdering Mr Thompson on November 15 last year. Wilson has also denied attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The prosecution alleges that Wilson and Stanton hit and punched Mr Thompson and Wilson strangled him.

The trial continues today.