Becky Watts trial: Man charged with assisting offender 'was used'
A man charged with assisting an offender was taken advantage of in a "callous and calculating way", his lawyer has said.
Sean Hammond, defending Ireland, said a psychiatric report said his client was more likely to take things at face value, and not question them - something others took advantage of.
Closing the case for James Ireland, known as Jamie, he said:
Mr Hammond told the court a number of elements in the charges against a man charged with assisting an offender have now changed.
He said at the end of the prosecution case a number of concessions were made, changing the charge against him.
Instead Mr Hammond told the court the jury now have to be sure that Ireland knew or believed that Matthews had been involved in a robbery, or handling stolen goods.
He listed four elements of the charge now against Ireland, telling the court that the defence disputed two of them.
That Ireland knew or believed that Matthews involved in a robbery or was handling stolen goods.
That Ireland intended to impede the arrest and prosecution of Matthews and Hoare.
Mr Hammond said it was not disputed that Ireland helped move the items, and that he had no lawful authority or reasonable excuse to do so.
Mr Hammond told the jury that "nothing at all" about what Ireland saw or was told on the night he moved the items - February 23/24 - suggested he would have known or believed Matthews was involved in criminal activity.
He said that everything he saw and heard tallied with the story given to him, that Matthews had had an argument with his girlfriend.
Mr Hammond told the court the prosecution's claim that Ireland got involved because he "succumbed to greed" and the money he was promised is not true.
Instead Mr Hammond said Ireland was not in debt and did not know about the £10,000 promised to Karl Demetrius - he said in fact text messages showed Karl Demetrius intended to keep the money for themselves.