London: The main accused in the hammer attack case boasted about how he licked blood from the hammer after attacking the three Emirati sisters, a London court heard on Thursday.
Philip Spence, 32, “always had a hammer with him” and in this instance used it to batter his victims in front of their children at the Cumberland Hotel in central London.
Khulood, 36, and her sisters Ohoud, 34, and Fatima, 31, suffered fractured skulls and life-threatening injuries in the attack.
On the evening after the attacks, Spence went to visit his friend Emma Moss and boasted to her that he had robbed £50,000 of valuables from a hotel room.
She told police she has known the six foot three inches tall Spence since she was 10 years old.
“I have never been in an intimate relationship with Philip ... because of his drug addiction — I believe he has been using crack cocaine and heroin,” she said.
When he came knocking on her door, Spence was homeless and had left south London because he was wanted by police, the court heard.
Moss said: “I know Philip to be a criminal who commits burglaries and robberies. He has told me he has stolen from hotels before, he is also someone who exaggerates and tells lies.”
She told the court that “on Sunday [April 6] at about 6-7pm I was at my home address with my daughters when Philip arrived it was still light but getting dark”.
She said that Philip arrived wearing black brand new trainers, blue jeans and a black hoody. “He was hyperactive and boasting about getting £50,000 worth of jewellery, Blackberrys, iPods, bags and perfume.”
Spence told Moss that he got the items from a hotel room. “I knew he had done something bad, but he tells tales and I never know what the truth was with him,” she said.
Spence was “clearly” on drugs, she added.
“When Philip left I thought nothing more of it until he returned on Monday at 5am. He was shaking and his eyes were really wide, I believe he was on drugs,” Moss said.
Spence told Moss to search for the Cumberland Hotel on the internet leaving her “really shocked at what I saw”.
He described how he attacked the woman with a hammer. “He had a hammer, he always has a hammer with him,” Moss said.
Spence told Moss that he had stolen a diamond necklace that he left at her brother’s house.
James Moss, 33, has admitted handling stolen goods including mobile phones, handbags and jewellery.
Moss will be sentenced for handling stolen goods later.
Spence was arrested on April 10 at his sister Wendy Aloy’s address in north London.
At Islington Police Station, he mumbled a series of threats to the arresting officers. Spence then boasted he had “licked” the hammer used to crush the women’s skulls to clean off the blood.
“There ain’t no blood on the hammer, I licked it all off, it went down my mouth,” he told officers in a barrage of unsolicited comments.
“Why are so many of you involved? Are the Arabs paying you to catch me,” he asked them.
Spence appeared in the dock Southwark Crown Court in a black jacket layered over a grey t-shirt alongside co-defendant Thomas Efremi. Efremi, 57, has confessed to making ten withdrawals totalling £5000 using stolen bank cards after Spence took the stolen credit cards to him after brutalising the women.
Jurors heard that Spence previously tried to batter his former landlord with a hammer after arguing about rent.
On November 13, 2007 Spence started to threaten his landlord at Forest Road, Walthamstow, northeast London. He became abusive, snatched a hammer from his landlord’s bag and chased him. He then started to batter the door with the hammer, smashing the glass panels to try to get to his victim. Spence briefly left the building before returning to attack the door for a second time.
Spence also flew into a rage after a man refused to meet him after chatting on an online dating site. Spence was in contact with ‘Mr Pasquarelli’ but grew furious when he did not agree to meet in person. Spence exploded with rage and launched into a tirade of abuse down the telephone.
On one occasion, overheard by police, Spence threatened to stab and kill his victim. He later admitted breaking into his house on Peckham Grove and was sentenced for burglary and sending menacing messages in September 2010.
The thug also attacked strangers as they walked past him in the street.
On April 15, 2011 Spence was walking along Conway Street, central London, when he kicked a box at a pedestrian and spat at him. Spence then punched the victim and bit him on his left shoulder.
On the May 18, 2011 Spence launched a verbal assault on staff at a care home for the homeless where he was living. He threw a glass of water against a wall.
He was sentenced for affray on 26 June 26, 2011.
Just over two years later, Spence was in trouble with the law again after he attempted to burgle a recruitment building in (61-62) Berners Street, west London. He was found hiding in the toilets after police chased him off the premises.
Spence has racked up multiple convictions for burglary, with his first brush with the law in 2003 for burglary of a dwelling.
In June 2004, he notched up further sentences for burglary and battery. By February 24, 2006, Spence was sentenced for three offences of burglary commercial premises and attempted burglary.
A year later Spence was sentenced for attending Islington Borough Council offices in north London.
Spence was yelling about problems with his accommodation and shouted “you will deal with this!” to a female member of staff. He then punched her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness. She was later rushed to hospital after waking with serious head pain.
Efremi denies conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.
In the hammer attack on the sisters, Spence admits three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of aggravated burglary.
But he denies three counts of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.
The trial continues.
