Man accused of suitcase murders claims he feared for his life

Leader Live

14 hours ago

Yostin Mosquera, 35, said he thought Albert Alfonso, 62, would do to him what he claims he had already done to Paul Longworth, 71 – both of whose remains were later found in a suitcase near Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.
Mosquera admits killing Mr Alfonso but claims it was manslaughter by reason of loss of control.
He denies murdering either man and insists Mr Alfonso killed Mr Longworth.
Giving evidence at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, Mosquera said he had first come to the UK from Colombia in June 2024 on the promise of English lessons and financial support from Mr Alfonso, whom he had met years earlier through webcam sex websites.
But once in London, he said Mr Alfonso became '100% different', calling him a 'negro', 'slave', 'idiot' and 'stupid' on a daily basis, forcing him to sleep on the floor and threatening to kill his family if he tried to leave.
He said he had been frightened to go to the police because Mr Alfonso knew where his mother lived in Colombia, having sent him money there via Moneygram.
Using an interpreter, Mosquera said: 'I felt intimidated, especially the threats to my family.
'You have to bear in mind how dangerous it can be in Colombia.'
The Colombian national wore jeans, a shirt and rosary beads as he was cross-examined by defence barrister Tom Little KC
He said the pair filmed extreme sexual acts and claimed that while Mr Alfonso initially promised not to share the recordings, he later learned they had been seen by friends in London and Colombia.
'He told me he would keep them on his computer,' Mosquera said.
'But then a friend in Colombia told me he had seen me in a WhatsApp group. Another person told me the same.
'That made me feel terrible – depressed.'
He described July 8 – the day of the killings – as beginning normally.
Mr Alfonso left the flat early for work and returned around 2.15pm.
Mosquera said he heard an argument between Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth in the bathroom, but could not understand what was said because they were speaking English.
He said Mr Alfonso then put on a black bathrobe and a pair of thin gloves, walked into Mr Longworth's bedroom and began opening and closing drawers.
Moments later, Mosquera said he heard a loud thud.
'When Albert came back, he sat down next to me and said if I said anything, I already knew what would happen to my family in Colombia,' he told the jury.
That evening, the pair went out to buy beer, returning around 8.20pm.
Mosquera said Mr Alfonso inhaled poppers and asked him to do the same to 'relax'.
'Did you try to leave?' Mr Little asked.
'No', Mosquera replied.
He explained it was 'out of fear that something would happen to my family if I didn't do what he told me.'
'He put the beers in the fridge and asked me if I had spoke to anyone,' Mosquera added.
He said he believed Mr Alfonso was about to kill him and began to panic.
'He was on his computer, speaking in Spanish, saying 'I won't leave any traces or any witnesses',' he told jurors.
'At that moment, many things were going through my mind – what had happened to Paul, the threats, the way he treated me.
'I thought my head was going to blow up like a balloon. I could hear the blood flowing through my body. I could hear a constant beep.
'I don't know how long passed – it wasn't many minutes. It all happened so quickly.
'After that, I woke up in Bristol.'
He said he did not remember singing a reggaeton song – footage the jury has previously been told shows him performing in the aftermath – but said he recognised it as one he knew.
He said he initially planned to take the suitcases containing the remains to Brighton – a location Mr Alfonso had once joked about, saying it was 'where you're going to throw Paul'.
He told jurors that he changed his mind and chose Bristol because they were close to one another alphabetically.
'I didn't know anything about (Bristol)', he said.
He also denied having heard of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, where some of Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth's remains were later discovered.
He denied having any memory of travelling back to west London afterwards, but said he searched his location on Google and found the nearest train station so he could return to the flat.
He said he left the men's heads in the freezer – that was not switched on – because Mr Longworth's 'was already not smelling very good'.
Jurors have heard that Mr Alfonso and Mr Longworth were decapitated and dismembered at the flat they shared in Shepherd's Bush before their remains were dumped.
The trial continues.