Mum's harrowing account describes finding son who had been fatally beaten

'When things were good with us they were loving they weren’t afraid to show me love'

Diane Steel in her interview says her son Martin was a “good neighbour to good neighbours” and “if anybody gave him aggro he was quite capable of giving aggro back”.

She says the last contact she had with Martin was on the evening of Friday, May 19, when he rang her to say Darren had become involved in something “down the bottom” [of the estate] and he was going there. She describes Martin as “my rock” but also says “he did like to wind me up”.

Speaking of the relationship between herself and the two brothers she says: “When things were good with us they were loving they weren’t afraid to show me love. But they weren’t afraid to show me their horrible side as well.”

That concludes Mrs Steel's interview and concludes today’s evidence. The trial will resume on Thursday morning.

'I needed to know what had gone on'

Diane Steel, in her police interview recounting the morning of May 20 last year, says her son Martin was laid on the floor and “the boys” began CPR – what she describes as “doing the Staying Alive thing” – and she says she was in a state of shock. She says she noticed the blinds in the living room with still drawn and says Marin always “turned” the blinds when he got up in the morning. She says this made her worried.

She describes Darren Steel’s eyes as being “on stalks” and like “sharks’ eyes” and says she knew he was not taking his medication as he thought it made him feel “listless" and "dopey” and was taking “street drugs”. She says Darren then “legged it” and left the flat. She says: “I was angry inside but I didn’t explode. I needed to know what had gone on.” She says she sat on the wall outside the flat for much of the day “for Martin”.

'Boy, son, are you all right?'

Diane Steel’s video interview continues and she says the living room was in a “hell of a mess” with the contents of black bin bag strewn on the floor. She says a mess was very unusual as Martin was an “OCD cleaner” and “couldn’t afford new things so looked after what he had”.

She says she put her hand to Martin’s head and said: “Boy, son, are you all right?” She says she then saw blood in her son’s mouth. Mrs Steel says she checked for a pulse on the neck and wrist and put his hand on his heart. His T-shirt was pulled up and his chest and belly were cold to touch.

She says she could hear Darren “talking somewhere in the background”.

'I could see blood all over his face'

The video interview with Diane Steel, the mother of both Martin and Darren Steel, is still being played. Mrs Steel says on the morning of May 20 she was preparing for her usual Saturday morning shopping trip with Martin – “he gets his necessities while I get my necessities” – when she received a call from Martin’s neighbour Mark.

She says she went around to her son’s flat and found the front door deadlocked or locked from the inside with the key in the lock so went around to the back door. She says she unlocked the back door and found it was still on the chain. She says she then heard a voice calling from inside the flat and Darren came to the door. She says Darren asked her if she had brought the police with her.

Mrs Steel says she was let into the flat and then saw Martin slumped in a chair. She says: “I could see blood all over his face. His face was pale underneath the blood.”

'Like lots of men they cannot have a couple of pints and be in the same room'

The next evidence being put before the jury is a video interview with Diane Steel recorded at Cockett police station on the afternoon of May 22. Prosecution barrister Carline Rees KC tells jurors Mrs Steel will not be called to live evidence from the witness box.

In her interview Mrs Steel says her sons Darren and Martin Steel had a “love-hate relationship… they would kill for each other” but “like lots of men they cannot have a couple of pints and be in the same room”.

She says Darren was a “daddy’s boy” while Martin was a “mummy’s boy”.

Witness received calls from Martin Steel's phone during the night

The next witness to give evidence in the form of a written statement is Zoe Davies. Again it is being read by junior prosecution counsel Carina Hughes. In her statement Miss Davies describes how she went shopping to Aldi in Llansamlet with Martin Steel and his mother on the afternoon of May 19. She says as she doesn’t drive she had asked if she could “tag along” on the trip.

She says at 2.11am the following morning she was woken by a phone call from Martin Steel’s number. She says given the time and the fact she had to get up for work the following morning she rejected the call, put the phone on silent, and went back to bed. She said when she get up that morning and checked her phone she saw she had received another call from Martin Steel’s phone at 2.12am which had gone to voicemail though no message had been left. She says she texted Martin at 6.54am to check everything was okay and then went to work. She says as it was a text and not a WhatsApp message she cannot tell if the message was read.

'We had a tussle Mark. I was too strong for him'

Mark Swain, friend and neighbour of Martin Steel, continues describing the morning of May 20. He says moments later Diane Steel appeared at the front door of her son's flat and she was “hysterical” and was on the phone to the ambulance and was asking for a defibrillator. He says he went to the shop to retrieve the defibrillator and, accompanied by Dan, returned to the flat.

He says the living room was in a “right mess” and it appeared somebody had emptied the contents of a black bin bag over the floor. He says Martin Steel was lying on the floor next to the fire and he initially thought he may have had a heart attack but then he saw the blood on his friend’s face.

The witness says Darren Steel was in the kitchen of the flat “crying and blubbering” and told him: “We had a tussle Mark. I was too strong for him.”

The witness says Darren Steel then left the flat while Barry was performing CPR and Dan operated the defibrator. He says: “I was stunned. I couldn’t believe what happened.”

Friend recounts the events of the morning

Witness Mark Swain, a neighbour of Martin Steel, says in his statement that at just after 6am on May 20 he was woken by noises and, looking out of the window, saw a young woman and police officers outside the flats. He says he thought nothing of it and went back to bed.

He says he woke again at 9.30am and saw his downstairs neighbours in the garden stacking floorboards they were removing from their property while renovating it. He says they shouted up to him about Mr Steel’s dog being in the garden and he says he rang Mr Steel’s mother Diane at 10.10am.

He says when Mrs Steel arrived with keys they found the front door to Mr Steel’s flat was locked from the inside so they went around the back. Mrs Steel opened the back door but he says he then heard Darren Steel in the flat asking them if they had brought the police. He says Darren Steel let his mother into the flat and he then returned to the front garden to be with the other neighbours.

'I have to go'

Mark Swain, a neighbour of Martin Steel who says the deceased was his best friend, said at around 9.30pm on May 19 Mr Steel received a phone call on his mobile. He says he could hear what was being said but could hear a female voice on the other end. He says Mr Steel was obviously “irritated” by the call and told him “something has happened in the Caemawr estate involving Darren – I have to go”. Mr Swain says he told his friend not to go as he had had a drink but he went anyway.

Deceased's best friend gives statement

The next statement is from another neighbour of Martin Steel, Mark Swain, who lived upstairs in the same block of four flats as the deceased. He says Mr Steel was his best friend and says he would see him most days when they would watch TV, listen to music, drink a few cans, and have some “banter”.

He says in the evening of May 19 last year he went to Mr Steel’s home with three cans of San Miguel lager. He says he gave two to his friend and he had the third. He says the friends drank the lager, chatted, and watched TV and he says Mr Steel “looked tired” but apart from that appeared to be his normal self. The witness says Mr Steel then consumed some rum – “his usual tipple” – and that he would put his level of intoxication at 6.5 or seven out of 10. He describes Mr Steel as being “merry”.

Witness says injuries sustained were 'horrific'

The next witness statement is from Daniel Green, postmaster at the Post Office in Rheidol Avenue in Clase and a former employee at the Clase One Stop shop.

He says on the morning of May 20 last year he popped into the One Stop shop to see his mother who was working there and that while in the car park when he was approached by a customer he recognised by the name of Mark who was “very distressed” and asked if he could bring the defibrillator with him to Martin’s flat.

He says he opened the defib case with the code given by police and went to the flat. He says he would describe the injuries he saw on Mr Steel as “horrific” and says his face was unrecognisable. He says he followed instructions and used the defibrillator but the machine didn’t actually deliver any shocks.

He says “emotions were high” in the flat and “there was a lot of crying”.

'So swollen he was unrecognisable'

The next statement is from Barry Oxley who is the partner of Alesia Beaverstock. He too described how they saw their neighbour’s dog in the garden on the morning of May 20 and how another neighbour had subsequently called Mr Steel’s mother.

He says he was in the front garden with his partner when Diane Steel opened her son’s front door from the inside shouting for help and calling for a defibrillator. He says he went into the living room and saw Mr Steel slumped in a chair and how his face was swollen and covered in blood. He says Mr Steel was laid on the floor and then he says he started doing CPR while Dan [Dan Oxley] went to get a defibrillator. The witness says Mr Steel’s face was “so swollen he was unrecognisable”.

Witness describes 'chaos'

The statement of Alisa Beverstock continues and the witness says she went into the kitchen while CPR was being performed on Martin Steel. Darren Steel was in the kitchen and he was crying. She says she noticed one of the rings on the gas hob was on and it seemed to be very hot,and she thought it must have been on for some time. She says she turned it off.

She says when she went back to the living room there was a paramedic in the room. She was she was “watching the chaos” and “wishing Martin would wake up”.

The witness says she had known Martin Steel for around 17 or 18 years and was aware there had been “frictions” between Martin and his brother Darren around a decade ago.

'There was blood everywhere, splattered all over the walls'

Alisa Beverstock, whose statement is being read to the court, says a few minutes later Diane Steel opened the front door from the inside and she was holding her mobile phone and was “distraught”. The witness says she rushed into the flat and saw Mr Steel slumped in a chair.

His face was swollen, his lips and ears were “huge”, and there was a red mark across his forehead. She says “there was blood everywhere, splattered all over the walls” and the room was a mess. She says there were also black-blue marks on his neck.

The witness says she shook Mr Steel and shouted at him to wake up. She says the blood on his body was “tacky” to the touch.

Neighbour said Martin Steel's dog would not settle

The first statement comes from Alisa Beverstock, a neighbour of the deceased Martin Steel. She says that at around 8.30am on May 20 last year she had her partner Barry were doing work on their flat when they saw Mr Steel’s dog Cindy in the front garden on her own, which she says was unusual.

She says she knocked on Mr Steel’s door but got no answer and says she assumed he must have been “sleeping off a hangover” and had let the dog out before going back to bed. She says she noticed something on Cindys fur which she thought was glue.

The witness says she gave Cindy food and water but when the dog wouldn’t settle she again knocked on Mr Steel’s door and windows. She says another neighbour then called Mr Steel’s mother, Diane, who came to the flat and went around the side to enter through the kitchen door.

Statements to be read out

The court is now going to hear evidence in the form of written statements.

The statements will be read by junior procession counsel Carina Hughes.

Bodycam footage of arrest played to court

The court hears the computer system is now working again and the jury is shown bodycam footage of Darren Steel’s arrest in a garden across the road from where he lives. The neighbour tells officers Steel has just knocked on his door asking for a vape.

Steel is searched and in response to questions tells officers he uses heroin but doesn’t have any “pins”, meaning needles, on him as he smokes the drug. During the footage passers-by and heard to shout greetings to Steel and one person shouts out: “F*** the system!”. Steel replies: “Don’t take the p***” and officers advise him to ignore the other people.

Picture shows brothers' mother arriving

The jury is taken to a series of CCTV photos showing Diane Steel, the mother of the deceased and the accused, arriving at Martin Steel’s flat at 10.24am on May 20 last year.

Further photographs beginning at 10.43am show Darren Steel walking away from his brother’s flat. CCTV stills then show Steel, wearing a red baseball cap and a black Joma-brand Swansea City top, making his way along the footpath beside Ysgol Tan-y-Lan and into Caemawr Road and then Lon Camlad, the street where he lives. He is seen to be carrying a drinks bottle.

Second day of trial begins

Croeso/Welcome to our continuing conerage of the Darren Steel murder trial. Prosecution barrister Caroline Rees KC begins by apologising to the jury saying the software which allowed CCTV stills and footage to be shown on the big screen in court yesterday isn’t working and so jurors will have to look at printed versions of the images while attempts are made to get the technology working.

Jury played CCTV footage

The jury is now being played a compilation of CCTV video clips from which the previous stills were taken. The footage shows Dawn Begley running with Darren Steel chasing after her. Outside Clase Community Centre Steel catches up with Miss Begley and grabs her by the hair and throws her to the ground. The footage is paused at various points and the hammer in Steel’s hand is highlighted.

The compilation continues and shows Miss Begley flagging down a police van on the roundabout at the junction of Rheidol Crescent and Long View Road at 6.08am. She is seen to talk to police officers and then walks ahead of the van as it pulls into Hill View Crescent. The court hears Miss Begley told the officers there had been a “domestic” and Darren Steel had taken her purse. The officers go with her to Martin Steel’s property in Hill View Crescent where Darren Steel returns the bag. The court hears the police then took Miss Begley home.

The judge asks prosecution counsel Carline Rees KC where the footage the jury has just seen fits into the timing of the death of Martin Steel and the barrister says that question may be answered in the evidence from Miss Begley and that she is reluctant to say more at this point.

That concludes today’s hearing. The trial will resume on Wednesday morning.

Ex-partner flagged down police van

The stills continue and at just before 6.04am Darren Steel is seen to grab Dawn Begley’s hair and to throw her to the ground in the middle of the road. The court hears there is a “confrontation” between the pair with Steel standing over Miss Begley as she sits on the floor.

A dark blue car drives past Miss Begley as she is sat in the road. Steel then picks up Miss Begley’s handbag and is caught on camera walking towards Hill View Crescent. Pictures show Miss Begley holding her head. The court heard this incident forms count six on the indictment, which is an allegation of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Further pictures show Miss Begley subsequently flagging down a police van that was in the area in relation to other matters.

Defendant seen chasing ex-partner with hammer

The jury is shown a series of CCTV stills from different cameras positioned around Clase Community Centre in Long View Road and in Hill View Crescent showing events in the minutes after 6am on May 20 last year.

The court hears the photographs show Darren Steel chasing Dawn Begley around the streets while holding a hammer. Judge Paul Thomas KC asks defence barrister John Hipkin KC if it is accepted the defendant is carrying a hammer and the barrister says it is.

Brief pause in proceedings

The court takes a short break before the next series of CCTV stills and clips are shown.

Martin Hill seen 'unsteady on his feet' in clip

The jury is now being shown a series of CCTV stills and video clips from around 1.13am and 1.14am on May 20 last year which show Martin Steel walking on Lon Camlad and Caemawr Road and taking the footpath alongside Ysgol Tan-y-Lan towards his home address on Hill View Crescent. The court hears he is carrying a black bag and has a walking stick over his shoulder and “appears unsteady on his feet”.

The jury is also shown a series of images showing Darren Steel and Dawn Begley making the same journey a few minutes later. The court hears that as they emerge from the footpath beside Ysgol Tan-y-Lan and turn left towards Martin’s Steel’s flat in Hill View Crescent the couple are holding hands. The court hears Miss Begley is wearing a Swansea City top which looks very similar to the one the defendant will be wearing when he is subsequently arrested.

Brothers captured together on CCTV

The jury is now being played Facebook Messenger voice messages sent from Darren Steel to Julian Samuels' son Cameron. In the messages Steel tells Cameron Samuel the bike he has bought or been given by his father is his and is of “sentimental” value as he got it from his brother Martin.

In one message he tells Cameron Samuel: “I want the bike or me and my brother will come down and have a word. You don’t want that” and in another says: “Give me the bike back or there will be repercussions. Give it back or there might be problems”.

The jury is now being shown a collection of CCTV stills and footage showing comings and goings at the property in Lon Ithon on the night of May 19 into the early hours of May 20 last year. The court hears at just after midnight on May 20 Dawn Begley arrives at the address wearing what is believed to be a black and white Swansea City top.

At 1am Martin Steel and Darren Steel leave the property. Martin Steel is carrying a back bag and a walking stick. The court hears the brothers appear to engage in a “heated conversation” before Martin Steel walks off. Darren Steel returns to the property then emerges moments later carrying another black bag which appears to be heavy.

A further clip shows Darren Steel putting the items he was carrying into the front garden of his property in Lon Camlad. He takes a “circular object” off Dawn Begley and puts that in the garden too. The court hears the circular object is believed to be “a tool for people with learning difficulties”. The pair then walk off in the direction of Caemawr Road.

Jury shown aerial images and CCTV stills

The trial resumes after lunch and the prosecution calls its first evidence in the form of photographs, drone footage, audio files, and CCTV footage.

The first evidence being put before the jury is a series of aerial photographs showing the area of Moriston at the centre of the case – Lon Ithon and Lon Camlad just north of Bishop Vaughan School.

The jury is now being shown a series of CCTV stills from the afternoon and evening of May 19 showing Dawn Begley and the defendant Darren Steel coming and going from a property in Lon Ithon.

'Fuelled by temper and rage'

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC says: “It is the prosecution case that the extent of injuries suffered by Martin Steel, both external and internal, show that he was the victim of an unlawful attack at the hands of his own brother.”

The prosecutor says the attack was “fuelled by temper and rage” and while Martin Steel suffered the most serious violence he was not the only victim and that both Julian Samuel and Dawn Begley also suffered “brutal assaults”.

The court breaks for lunch.

Blood found on defendant's clothing

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC now tells the jury about the clothes seized from the defendant on his arrest. Blood found on his Swansea City football top was subsequently matched to the deceased Martin Steel as was blood on his tracksuit trousers. The court heard the blood on the trousers showed signs of clotting. The prosecutor says there was a “reasonable probability” that the blood stains on the top had come from “punching into wet blood”. The court hears blood found on the defendant’s Nike trainers was matched to Julian Samuel.

The prosecutor says blood was also found on a pine kitchen chair and brown packing tape later recovered from the Lon Ithon property and those findings were consistent with the account of the assault given by Julian Samuel.

Knife found with blood on handle

The prosecution barrister now takes the jury to the findings of a scenes of crime examination of Martin Steel’s flat in Hill View Crescent. She details the blood deposits found on and around the armchair in the living room where Mr Steel was found and the blood staining on the walls and furniture in the room including the TV cabinet.

The court hears a number of the blood marks in the living room were “impact splatter” that is blood staining caused by blows into wet blood. The court hears there was also diluted blood staining in the toilet, bath, sink and floor in the bathroom, and a craft knife found in the bathroom had blood on the handle.

Defendant said to be in 'an absolute rage'

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC says the other person to suffer violence at the hands of the defendant was his “on-off” partner Dawn Begley. She says Miss Begley was at the Lon Ithon property on a number of occasions with the defendant on May 18 and 19 and she described how she thought he had taken Valium and alcohol which had “made him nasty”.

The court hears that on one of his visits to the property she saw Julian Samuel in a bedroom and his face was, in her words, “a right mess”.

The court hears it is the prosecution case that the defendant assaulted Miss Begley at the property by slapping and kicking her, and that Miss Begley then ran from the property and was pursued by the defendant with a hammer. Miss Rees says the defendant caught up with Miss Begley and then dragged her by her hair into the middle of the road. She says Miss Begley “desperately tried to flag down” passing cars and was “absolutely petrified of what he would do to her”.

Miss Rees says: “The defendant was in an absolute rage – a rage the prosecution say he was to maintain when he murdered his brother.”