A MAN accused of murdering Colne teenager Kim Newson confessed to the killing to another prisoner, a court heard.

Stephen Charles Hughes, 41, told prisoner Alan Clinkscales he had killed Kim Newson during a conversation in the exercise yard at Lincoln Prison last year.

Clinkscales, who is currently serving a four-year sentence at the Greetwell Road jail for burglary told the jury at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday he had asked Hughes what he had done with her.

"He said he chopped her up and burnt her and got rid of her, that sort of stuff," he told the court.

Clinkscales said Hughes also admitted to having Miss Newson's birth certificate in his possession when arrested by police.

He said: "I asked him if he had it, he said, yeah, he picked it up."

The prosecution alleges that when the certificate was discovered it had traces of Miss Newson's blood on it as well as a print belonging to the defendant.

Clinkscales said he had known Hughes for about 10 years and said that he was also in the habit of killing animals.

He said that on a number of occasions Hughes had told him that he had gone out into the country, caught a sheep and "butchered it up".

Defence council Paul Watson QC suggested to Clinkscales that the conversation with Hughes had never taken place.

Clinkscales said: "Yes it did."

(Proceeding)