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Hooded Figure Seen Searching Vilson Meshi's Car Minutes Before Prosecutors Believe He Was Killed
Fri 4th August 2017, Yellow Advertiser

A HOODED figure was seen searching a man’s car in Pitsea shortly before prosecutors believe he was killed, a jury has heard.

Witness Colin Hirons attended Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday to recount the incident at a manslaughter trial over the death of Vilson Meshi, 30, from Glossop.

Mr Meshi was found dead inside his torched car in Pincey Mead on the afternoon of Saturday, February 27, 2016.

Two people – Keani Hobbs, 18, from Stagden Cross, and a 16-year-old boy who can’t be named – stand accused of killing Mr Meshi by placing a stolen marine distress flare inside his car.

Mr Hirons told jurors he had left his flat just before 2am on February 27 to buy some cigarettes and visit a games casino. He knew the time as he was looking at his phone when he left, he said.

As Mr Hirons walked towards his car in the Pincey Mead car park, he saw Mr Meshi’s black Audi, which was parked nearby.

The driver’s door was open, he said, and a man in a navy blue hooded top – with the hood up – was bending over into the car.

He said: “I was walking along, crossing the car park. I heard a noise, looked up and looked over to my left.

“In the Audi estate car, I saw the door was open and I saw a male person bent over in the driver’s side... He must have been searching for something.

“Because I suffer from full blown Tourettes, I made a noise. I shouted and he looked over at me.”

Mr Hirons said the men stared at each other for three or four seconds.

He described the hooded figure as stocky with a round face and aged between 17 and 20.

He continued: “As I got to my car, I fell over a push bike at the side of my car. I actually fell over the bike... I went flat on my face.

“It was not a big bike. It was a small one. It was yellow and it had tape around it. It was wrapped around the crossbar and the handlebars.

“I kicked the bike and I swore and I got up and just pushed the bike out the way with my foot. I got in the car and went, not thinking nothing more of it.”

Prosecutors believe the flare was thrown into Mr Meshi’s car a few minutes later, just after 2am, based on a bright flash picked up by local CCTV cameras. None of the cameras were pointed directly at Mr Meshi’s car.

Roughly half an hour before the flash, a hooded figure on a bike could be seen in the footage pulling the door handles on cars parked in the area.

Prosecutor David Matthew told jurors in his opening statement that a bike ‘identical’ to the one seen in the CCTV was later found at Keani Hobbs’ address in Stagden Cross.

Police showed Mr Hirons a photograph of Mr Meshi to see if he was the man he had seen leaning into the black Audi.

But Mr Hirons testified, “I didn’t know if it was him or not.”

Mr Meshi’s wife, Besjana, told police her husband had been wearing a grey hooded top when he left her on Friday, February 26.

Mrs Meshi gave police a list of clothing she knew he had taken with him. It did not include a navy blue hooded top.

The trial continues.

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