A man accused of murdering a Turkish DJ in North London who burnt his clothes, broke his phone, and ditched his car has denied trying to thwart detectives, a court heard. Junior Kettle, 32, stands accused with five others of kidnapping and torturing to death Koray Alpergin, 43, whose burnt body was discovered near the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate in Loughton, Essex, on October 15 last year.

Mr Alpergin, from northern Cyprus, was the owner of Turkish radio station Bizim FM and has been pictured with celebrities like rapper P Diddy and Internet food star Salt Bae. He was kidnapped from outside his flat in Enfield with girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, and bundled into a white van after a meal at an Italian restaurant in Mayfair, the Old Bailey heard.

The couple were taken to an empty wine bar backing on to White Hart Lane, where Mr Alpergin was allegedly beaten, throttled, scalded with boiling water, stabbed, maimed and wounded to the genitals, while Ms Dalbudak was tied and blindfolded then locked in a 'filthy' toilet for two days where she was fed chicken and potatoes, Coca-Cola, and water.

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On Monday (October 23), murder accused Junior Kettle took the stand where he was cross examined by Crispin Aylett KC. He admitted driving his car to the Stadium Lounge where Mr Alpergin was allegedly murdered, but denied having any idea what was happening until he was informed of the kidnap by another defendant on their way home.

Mr Kettle, who claims he originally planned to go to a car show in Croydon, was invited by Steffan Gordon for lunch at a Turkish café in Cockfosters earlier that day, but told jurors he did not overhear a conversation led by Mr Gordon which mentioned a plan to kidnap and beat Mr Alpergin for money and drugs.

Mr Gordon previously told jurors he was brought into the plan as 'muscle' to help Tejean Kennedy, 33, carry out 'a little move', which he claimed just involved robbing Mr Alpergin. Mr Kettle repeatedly denied being gang affiliated or having any knowledge of notorious North London Turkish mafia, the Tottenham Turks.

Recalling the café chat, Mr Aylett asked: "Steffan Gordon said he got the feeling they knew the guy, it would be easy. He would be with his girlfriend and he would just give it up. Did you hear any of that?" Mr Kettle replied: "Like I said, it was a busy restaurant. It was like a train station. There were lots of conversations going on at once. I could not hear. I was on my phone at the same time... I did not hear it."

Mr Kettle then drove Mr Gordon to Edmonton, following a BMW in his Ford Focus, but claimed he never asked Mr Gordon why they were going there or why they had stopped there. "I knew we were in Edmonton, there was no need to ask where we are," Mr Kettle told the court.

Mr Gordon denied being in the Stadium Lounge where Mr Alpergin was allegedly murdered, and instead claimed he spent around five hours waiting in an alleyway on White Hart Lane without any idea why he was there. He also admitted picking up Mr Alpergin's mobile phone, but denied knowing who it belonged to.

He also told the court he saw other defendants carrying a sheet and loading it into the back of a Volkswagen Police, but denied knowing about the kidnapping until he was told about it by Mr Gordon on their way home.

"All the time you were in the alleyway you did not know there were two people in there being beaten up and held hostage in a lavatory?" Mr Aylett asked. "No I did not, I did not hear any screaming," Mr Kettle answered.

"Did you not ask: 'Who has been kidnapped?'," Mr Aylett probed. "No," said Mr Kettle, later adding, "I did not ask any questions until we were on the way home." Asked what he was told, Mr Kettle claimed Mr Gordon was 'in shock' and 'did not really say anything', telling jurors "He told me what he told me".

Mr Aylett then accused of Mr Kettle of being in the Stadium Lounge, and alleged this was why he immediately burned his own clothes and broke his telephone, then three days later, after another defendant was arrested by police, abandoned his Ford Focus in Brent Cross. "You were not going to help the police were you? You tried everything you could to thwart them," Mr Aylett alleged.

The morning after Mr Alpergin's alleged murder, Mr Kettle left his girlfriend's flat with a petrol canister, filled it up at a fuel pump, then took it to a friend's house where he burned his clothes and shoes on a bonfire in the garden. He then put the ashes in a binbag and took them, with his cousin, to a canal in Stamford Hill, where he threw them in the water, the court heard.

"I was scared, I was panicking, I wanted to get rid of my stuff," Mr Kettle explained to jurors. Mr Aylett later asked: "Did your clothes have Koray Alpergin's blood on them?" Mr Kettle replied: "No they did not."

Mr Aylett also alleged the car was ditched to hide traces of DNA, again accusing Mr Kettle of being in the Stadium Lounge and 'being careful' not to leave evidence. "If I had been in the Stadium Lounge you would have found my DNA. You did not find anything," Mr Kettle said.

Tejean Kennedy, of Cricklewood Broadway, Cricklewood, Samuel Owusu-Opuku, of Dunbar Road, Wood Green and Junior Kettle, of Kingsdown Road, Islington deny murder and two counts of kidnap and false imprisonment. Steffan Gordon, of Dehavilland Close, Northolt, denies murder and two counts of false imprisonment but admitted kidnap.

The trial in front of Her Honour Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC continues.

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