Sam Mechelewski Murder Trial: Murdered man asked friend to help him ‘sort out hassle’ a week before his death

Giving evidence before Cambridge Crown Court, Michael Goldsworthy said that Mr Mechelewski had asked him to go to the country park with him to sort out some trouble he was having.

Mr Goldsworthy said: “Sam had asked me to go with him as he wanted to sort out some hassle. I hesitated when he asked me and he told me not to worry.”

Mr Goldsworthy added that he advised Mr Mechelewski that, if he was to go to the park, he should take a different friend with him.

Jordan Shepherd, 23, of Mayfly Close, Chatteris, and Ashley White, 20, of West End, Brampton, are both on trial for the murder of Mr Mechelewski. Both have denied the charge.

Appearing before the court on Friday, Mr Goldsworthy also said that he believed that Mr Mechelewski, 20, owed Jordan Shepherd money.

Mr Goldsworthy told the court that he recalled having a conversation with Shepherd about Mr Mechelewski owing him money.

Mr Goldsworthy told the court how there had been a couple of occations where him and Shepherd had been talking about money but he didn’t think anything of it.

He also told the jury how he couldn’t believe it when he was told that Shepherd had been charged with Sam’s murder.

He said: “I can’t believe that Jordan Shepherd would hurt Sam. They were always out and about together.”

He then told the court how Shepherd would ‘help him out’ when he was struggling, by filling up his car with petrol and buying him food.

He also told the court that Mr Mechelewski had a ‘tick list’ of people who owed him money from his cannabis sales and that Sam had told him weeks prior to his murder that White owed him money.

He said: “I knew that White owed him money, as he’d buy drugs on tick. They weren’t really friends and only really spoke if it was to do with business.”

Ciara Ratcliffe, 21, of Sycamore Drive, Huntingdon, has denied a charge of perverting the course of justice in relation to the incident.

The case continues.