Neill Buchel murder trial: Accused admits helping cut body into 10 pieces

Police dredging White Hart Lakes in Eastbrookend Country Park, off The Chase, Dagenham, where Neill's leg was discovered on April 1. The rest of his body was recovered in the following days Archant

The owner of the flat where Neill Buchel was allegedly stamped and kicked to death got the idea of chopping up and disposing his body from Guy Ritchie gangster films.

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Police in Eastbrookend Country Park the morning after Neill's leg was discovered Police in Eastbrookend Country Park the morning after Neill's leg was discovered

Chas Quye, 36, of Stansgate Road, Dagenham, denies murder but told Blackfriars Crown Court he thought he had killed his friend by hitting him on the head with a beer can on March 13, 2014.

After finding Neill’s lifeless body in his front room the next morning, he admitted to cutting him into 10 separate pieces – alongside “best mate” and co-defendant Elvis Kwiatkowski – before dumping him into White Hart Lakes in Eastbrookend Country Park.

“He was dead, he looked pale-ish,” he said.

“We were all astonished and taken aback. It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect to f***ing see. It’s something else. It’s positively f***ing different.

A police helicopter hovers over The Chase, Dagenham, where Neill's leg was found on April 1. Picture: Ellie Hoskins A police helicopter hovers over The Chase, Dagenham, where Neill's leg was found on April 1. Picture: Ellie Hoskins

“I’m standing in my front room with a f***ing dead body – what do you do?”

The previous night a group including Buchel, Kwiatowski, Quye and Alan Quinn, 28, of Lynette Road, Dagenham – who denies conspiracy to pervert the course of justice – had been drinking in Quye’s flat, when the father-of-two lashed out at the South African.

“We were all on the jolly-up, having a giggle – the TV’s just on in the background,” he said.

“He was bleeding on my floor, so I conked him on the noggin.

“I’ve got a dog. I didn’t want him licking that up – it’s bloody disgusting.”

Quye also admitted to hitting Neill with a beer can and feared the worst the following morning.

“Where his nugget was he had some clear fluid with bits of blood in it,” he added.

“I thought I’d f***ing killed him with the old beer game.

“I thought it was brain juice. I thought I’d caved his f***ing head in.

“It was a full can of beer and I trucked him on the top of his head. I thought I’d done his f***ing head in.

“I needed to get rid of him and try and brush him under the carpet. What else can you do?”

He added: “I thought I’d f***ing murdered him.”

Panicking, he picked Neill up and dragged him to his bathroom, dumping him next to the bath, and called Colin Bushaway – who denies conspiring to pevert the course of justice – who arrived with his van the next day.

“He didn’t want anything to do with it whatsoever, bloody ‘up yours, Jack’,” said Quye.

He then admitted being “out of his f***ing mind” and confessed to chopping up Buchel into 10 pieces to dump.

“Everything was going through my mind,” he explained.

“I thought we’d all take bits of him on the bus, but then you’re stuck with the torso.

“We [Quye and Kwitaowski] had to do a chop drop.”

“It wasn’t the best f***ing judgement call but I was stuck in that situation.

“I was there, I had to make a quick judgement call, bosh.”Using a handsaw and Stanley blade, the task took between two and three hours.

“I was chopping up one of my mates – it was f***ing awful,” he said.

“All those horror films are a load of s**t, this was something else.

“I sawed him to f***ing bits. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I was chucking up in the f***ing toilet.

“I saw Snatch or Lock Stock [and two Smoking Barrels] and they were on about chopping down, but I’m not going to be able to take f***ing arms on a bus. What would I say – I’ve grown a third leg?”

Earlier the previous night, Quye admitted to dressing Neill up as a member of Islamic State – wrapping a tea-towel round his head.

“Southie was on the deck and then Isis came on the TV,” he said.

“Me being me, I thought let’s dress Southie up like a Taliban merchant.

“I put a tea-towel on his bonce and a coathanger.

“He looked more like an Arab than, like, Taliban or Isis or whatever they’re called.

“We gave him some stick as you do.

“If you’ve got a member of Isis on your floor you’re gonna give him some stick – I’ve seen what they’ve done to our reporters.”

The trial continues.