Carl Dixon, Barnsley: CCTV recorded murder accused discussing fatal attack & discarding clothes, jury told

Two murder suspects were caught on CCTV discussing the fatal knife attack that cost a 35-year-old man his life - along with where to stash their jackets - as they made their way from the scene of the crime, a jury has been told. 

Carl Dixon was ‘stabbed to death’ during an altercation that took place at a property on George Street in the Barnsley village of Worsbrough, between 11.08pm and 11.20pm on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, prosecutors allege. 

25-year-old Liam Shaw, of no fixed abode, and 26-year-old Daniel Cheetham, of Underwood Avenue, Worsbrough Dale, Barnsley, have gone on trial at Sheffield Crown Court accused of Mr Dixon’s murder, a charge both defendants deny. 

Prosecutor, Nicholas Campbell KC, told the jury of seven women and five men yesterday (Monday, March 11, 2024) it is the Crown’s case that while it ‘would appear that only one person actually wielded the knife, the prosecution case is that this was a joint attack by two men, those two men in the dock’. 

Audio tracks from CCTV allegedly picked up defendants' conversations following Carl Dixon's death

As he continued to open the prosecution case against Mr Cheetham and Mr Shaw today (Tuesday, March 12, 2024), Mr Campbell said ‘audio tracks’ taken from CCTV cameras, located on some of the Barnsley streets the defendants walked along in the minutes and hours following the attack, had picked up some crucial conversations between the pair. 

Mr Campbell read out transcripts of the audio tracks, which, he said, have been compiled by an expert with a good working knowledge of Worsbrough and Barnsley accents. 

Among them was this alleged utterance from Mr Cheetham: “You gonna grab that thing, that thing what I stabbed him with.”

Mr Cheetham is alleged to have made the comment as he spoke to a third party on loudspeaker during an audio call, as he walked down the street with Mr Shaw.

Mr Shaw is also alleged to have said during the phone conversation to the same individual: “Two minutes, bro, we need to stash these jackets.”

During a subsequent conversation the pair are alleged to have had moments later, Mr Shaw was reportedly recorded saying: “F***ing punched him up, bro…oh he got me, the little b*****d, he got me there.”

Mr Cheetham allegedly replied: “Oh he didn’t get me.”

Both defendants also deny an additional charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm allegedly carried out during the same incident and relating to injuries reportedly suffered by Catherine Watkinson, whose George Street home is said to have been the scene of the fatal stabbing.

A summary of the evidence from Darren Woodhouse, another person who was allegedly present at the time of the fatal stabbing, was read to the jury yesterday, in which he said he saw the man wielding the knife stab Ms Watkinson to her left arm, but noted that he did not think that was what the knife man ‘intended’. 

The audio tracks are also alleged to have picked up Mr Shaw talking to Mr Cheetham about ‘not wanting to hit a female’. 

He said: “No, no, no, obviously she was in front of him. I didn’t want to hit her, when he got past her I grabbed him by the throat…kept going.”

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Speaking to the jury, Mr Campbell said of this utterance: “It seems the defendants are talking about a woman. Common sense may tell you this must have been Catherine Watkinson.”

As the reported conversation between the two defendants continued, Mr Shaw allegedly said: “I told her, and says no names.”

Mr Cheetham allegedly replied: “It’s up to her, really,” to which Mr Shaw said: “What.”

Mr Cheetham once again said: “It’s up to her, really.”

During another reported conversation about disposing of clothing, Mr Shaw said: “I need to lose this jacket, whose is it?”

Mr Cheetham reportedly replied: “It’s mine.”

“Can I chuck it,” Mr Shaw said, and following an inaudible part of the recording, Mr Shaw added: “Shall I just stash it?”

Mr Cheetham replied: “F**k.”

Yesterday, Mr Campbell told the jury that the background to the case is the ‘world of drugs’ and that ‘all of the adults who were present at the time of the murder were addicted to Class A drugs and they had been for some time’.

“They led chaotic lifestyles. The violence that led to Carl Dixon’s death seems to have arisen from an argument about drugs, over some tablets - less than a handful of them - and worth no more than a few pounds," Mr Campbell said, referring to the prescription drug, pregabalin. 

Cause of death was multiple stab wounds

Following a post-mortem examination, pathologist Dr Charles Wilson concluded Mr Dixon’s cause of death was ‘multiple stab wounds, of which you know in total there had been seven,’ the court heard. 

Both defendants were arrested on suspicion of murder at the home of Mr Cheetham’s grandfather around 15 hours after Mr Dixon suffered the fatal injuries. 

Mr Campbell said Mr Shaw complied with the arrest process, but Mr Cheetham resisted, and said ‘nothing at the time of his arrest, as is his right’. 

Upon his arrest, Mr Shaw allegedly replied: “I ain’t done nowt wrong, I were there, but I ain’t done nowt.” 

“When he was told he was under arrest for murder, he said: “Are you mad…I didn’t do owt so I’m not bothered’,” Mr Campbell told the jury. 

Murder accused provided police with a prepared statement

During his first three interviews, Mr Cheetham answered ‘no comment’ to all questions, before requesting a fourth and providing police with a prepared statement. 

In it, Mr Cheetham admitted being present at Ms Watkinson’s property on the evening of the alleged murder, and said he and Mr Shaw had gone there with the hope of being given a bed for a night, and to take drugs and socialise with Ms Watkinson. 

Mr Cheetham alleged that Mr Dixon and Mr Shaw began talking and an argument broke out, and he witnessed Mr Dixon strangling Mr Shaw. 

Concerned about his friend’s safety, Mr Cheetham claimed he picked up some garden shears that were on the floor and hit Mr Dixon with them around the shoulder, but ‘did not make a stabbing motion’.

Mr Cheetham alleges that Mr Shaw subsequently ‘armed himself with a knife and stabbed Carl multiple times to the body’.

“I didn’t know he was going to do that,” Mr Cheetham said in his prepared statement to the police. 

Mr Shaw answered no comment to all questions during his police interview, but while in his cell, a police officer heard him say: “It is what it is, just got to live with it now, the deed is done.”

Mr Shaw refused to sign a statement to that effect, but agreed to sign a statement to another of his alleged overheard outbursts, in which he reportedly said: “They’ve already tried to put it on me, my so-called mates.”

'This, you may find, is a sad tale of wasted lives'

Concluding the opening of the prosecution case against Mr Shaw and Mr Cheetham, Mr Campbell said: “Both defendants now admit presence at the time Mr Dixon was killed, but deny responsibility for causing the death. Each blames the other for the stabbing saying, he - the other [defendant] - was attacking alone.”

“On the available evidence, only one of the two was using the knife that caused Mr Dixon’s death, and according to Mr Woodhouse that person appears to have been Mr Cheetham…however, providing you are sure they were acting together, you don’t need be sure about which one it was who actually used the knife. The prosecution case is that they were acting together throughout the violence that took place inside the address, and they continued to act together throughout the 15 hours that had passed between the murder and their arrest.” 

“This, you may find, is a sad tale of wasted lives.”

Mr Shaw and Mr Cheetham both deny one charge of murder, and one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. 

The trial continues.