A Co Tyrone man prepared to "do time for manslaughter" claimed the killing of Cookstown man Mr George Scott 14 months ago resulted from a punishment beating that "went too far".
Belfast Crown Court also heard that in his alleged confession to police, Mr Rodger Crooks (24), of McKinney Park, Cookstown, accused two brothers of the actual killing. Mr Scott (31) was beaten to death on September 22nd 1996 with a baseball bat and stabbed in the throat with a poker after being attacked in his Killymoon Street flat in front of his girlfriend.
Mr Crooks and brothers, Mark and Gary McGuckin, from Milburn Close, Cookstown, deny his murder, while two others, Mr Robert Stewart (39), and Mr George Watterson (31), both of Stewart Avenue in the town, are accused of aiding and abetting the murder. In his police confession, Mr Crooks claimed he, Mr Mark McGuckin (36) and brother Gary (31) had been given a key to Mr Scott's flat by Mr Stewart.
Mr Crooks said he had a considerable amount of drink taken that evening and that they intended only to give Mr Scott a "punishment beating". He said they had "grievances" with Mr Scott but the attack "wasn't meant to end up the way it did".
Mr Crooks claimed that while he restrained Mr Scott's girlfriend, Mr Gary McGuckin attacked the man with a baseball bat which broke. He said the two brothers then "jumped on his head" and that Mr Mark McGuckin asked for a poker.
Mr Crooks said he tried to take the poker from him because he knew "that Mark was going over the top and I knew it would take very little to finish him [Scott] off". He claimed that Mr Mark McGuckin was "really hyped up and saying `do him' " and looked for a place on Mr Scott's throat in which to stick the poker.
The trial continues today.