TEENAGER Sajjad Mahmood was savagely beaten and dumped in a lodge after falling foul of a gang of drug dealers, a court heard.

Three men denied murdering the 18-year-old from Accrington when they appeared at Preston Crown Court yesterday.

Karl Barton, 22, of Manor Gardens, Wayne Kelly, 23, of Pearl Street and James Butler, 21, of Pearl Street, all Accrington, also denied grievous bodily harm with intent on the supermarket worker.

But the jury was told the three men had admitted dealing in cannabis and amphetamines from the terrace house in Princess Street, Accrington, where Sajjad was last seen alone.

Mr David Aubrey, QC, prosecuting, said police divers found the teenager's body in Hagg's Lodge, a reservoir next to Accrington's Asda store, ten days after he disappeared from his home in Royds Street.

A post mortem examination revealed that the teenager had been badly beaten before he was killed but failed to discover the exact cause of death.

The alarm was raised by Sajjad's parents when he failed to return home.

Mr Aubrey said: "The house in Princess Street was rented by James Butler and run as a corner shop for amphetamines and cannabis by James Butler and the other two defendants.

"We are unable to precisely what happened that night, no one saw what happened to Sajjad, we cannot say how Sajjad came to be in the lodge or how he got there."

Mr Aubrey told the court Sajjad was attacked after he went on a drunken wrecking spree after calling at Princess Street with two friends when Barton, Butler and Kelly were not there.

Butler heard about the vandalism attack and was also told Sajjad had slapped his 11-year-old nephew, who was in the house.

On the night of the murder Sajjad called at Princess Street to apologise to Butler but he was not at the house. Kelly and Barton kept Sajjad at the house and Butler was called on his mobile phone.

Two other men who were at Princess Street decided to leave when Sajjad arrived.

Mr Aubrey said: "The two witnesses said there was an atmosphere of fear in the house.

"Karl Barton was seen to punch his open palm and told the others Sajjad was going to get a good kicking."

A family living in the neighbouring house said they heard a violent row taking place followed by 'really awful screaming.'

In the days after the murder various witnesses told how the three men bragged about carrying out the beating.

One witness said Wayne Kelly spoke of how CS spray, a metal torch and kitchen implements were used to beat Sajjad.

When asked what had happened to Sajjad Kelly replied "let's just say he got wet."

Butler said to have told another man: "We gave it to him properly. We did his arms and legs and then threw him in the lodge."

A week after the murder Butler went to the police station with his solicitor to talk to police about Sajjad's disappearance. Police were not treating the disappearance as suspicious and Butler said the last time he saw Sajjad he was leaving Princess Street unharmed.

The following day Butler emptied all his property from the house and torched it in a bid to destroy any evidence.

The police then launched a major inquiry and all three men were arrested and charged with the murder.

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