A British court has been told by a fast food shop owner that a murdered schoolgirl was chopped up and put into kebabs.
London, May 25 : A British court has been told by a fast food shop owner that a murdered schoolgirl was "chopped up" and put into kebabs.
The Preston Crown Court was told that Iyad Albattikhi, 29, the owner of a food shop in Blackpool, killed Charlene Downes, 14, after having sex with her
Charlene was one of many young girls who visited an alleyway in the town to have sex with older men who worked in the fast food shops, Tim Holroyde QC, prosecuting, told the jury.
Charlene, also from Blackpool, had a "chaotic" home life. Expelled from school, she spent her time hanging around shops on the Blackpool Promenade. She was last seen on the evening of November 1, 2003. After kissing her mother goodbye she left alone - and vanished, Holroyde said.
A missing persons inquiry began but police later launched a murder investigation after receiving information that Charlene had been "killed and chopped up", the court heard.
No trace of Charlene's body has ever been found.
Holroyde told the jury that a witness had heard Albattikhi and others talking about her.
"These people were talking about sex with white girls, and there was mention of having sex with Charlene," he said.
"Albattikhi laughed and said she was very small - the plainest possible indication that he was lying to the police when he said he did not know her. He and others present then laughingly said that Charlene had gone into the kebabs."
Albattikhi, a Jordanian immigrant, is charged with murder. His business partner and landlord, Mohammed Reveshi, 50, is accused of helping to dispose of the body.
Both deny the charges and have told police they did not know Charlene. The trial continues.
ANI