A MAN told his parents he feared being jailed for 20 years for being “set up” for the alleged murder of a Bradford father, a jury has heard.

Tyron Charles, 29, was shot dead at a smallholding off Foster Park View, Denholme, on September 6 last year.

James Sutcliffe, also 29, is on trial accused of murdering Mr Charles, but he claims that it was another man, Adrian Williams, who pulled the trigger and accidentally killed his friend.

A trial at Bradford Crown Court has previously heard that Mr Charles’s body was buried on moors near Oxenhope, with police only discovering its location after secretly bugging conversations in prison in which James Sutcliffe spoke of the crime to his parents – Kevin and Janet Sutcliffe, aged 60 and 62 – and the three spoke of “destroying” the corpse.

The court has been told that in the lead-up to Mr Charles’s death, James Sutcliffe was being pursued for debts linked to an Audi car insured on his business policy.

When the car was later seized and crushed by police, it was said that Mr Williams and Mr Charles blamed the loss of its value, around £1,500, on James Sutcliffe.

In one of the secretly recorded conversations, in HMP Hull, James Sutcliffe said the pair were trying to “pin” the debt for the Audi on him, “bullying him for some money”.

The court has heard that after Mr Charles was shot in a shipping container on the smallholding, James Sutcliffe agreed to hide the body, but said he did so acting “in fear” of Mr Williams.

In one conversation with his parents, he spoke of pushing the body down into a boggy area of land off Nab Water Lane.

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The jury heard him say: “I picked him up over my f**king head and chucked him f**king down. I jumped back over (the wall) and jumped on him, made sure he went f**king down.”

In another recording, James Sutcliffe was heard to say that Mr Charles had “got his comeuppance by somebody”, but also added: “Something happened on my land and I’m getting blamed for it.”

In one conversation, Kevin Sutcliffe said to his son: “They’re trying to build evidence on you. They seem to be on his (Mr Williams’) side a little bit and I don’t like it.”

Speaking to his mother and father about the police investigation into Mr Charles’s alleged murder, James Sutcliffe said: “They are just trying to get evidence but they can’t. How can you send an innocent f**king man down.

“Stop trying to put me as a murderer when I’m not. If push comes to f**king shove and police set me up, I’m doing 20 years aren’t I or summat. I’ll end up doing time for summat I haven’t done.”

In response, Kevin Sutcliffe said: “You’ve just got to be strong son. Just see what happens in court.”

James Sutcliffe denies a charge of murder. All three defendants, of Hill Crest Road, Denholme, deny a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.