Murder accused Paul Johnson is standing trial accused of killing a man found dead at his home.
The body of Steve Coulson was found in Stakeford, Northumberland, last October.
Johnson, 33, of Cleasewell Hill, in Guide Post, Northumberland, denies murdering Mr Coulson and is being tried by jury at Newcastle Crown Court.
Mr Coulson, 47, was found dead at Ford Park, in Stakeford, on Saturday October 6.
We will bring you live updates from court as the defence open their case.
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Here’s Rob Kennedy’s final piece from the trial of Paul Johnson.
A worker who admitted his actions in restraining his boss in a choke hold led to his death is today a free man after he was cleared of killing him.
Paul Johnson said he was acting in self defence when he put his arm around Steve Coulson’s neck during an altercation at the building firm owner’s home.
Johnson admitted stealing from Mr Coulson’s safe as he lay dead or dying on his bedroom floor and prosecutors had claimed he had murdered him while desperate for cash to fund his drug habit.
But a jury at Newcastle Crown Court unanimously found him not guilty of murder and not guilty of the alternative of manslaughter. He was also cleared of assault with intent to rob. He showed no reaction to the verdicts.
Paul Johnson mugshot
Northumbria Police have released a mugshot of Paul Johnson, the man cleared of murdering Steve Coulson.
Johnson RELEASED immediately
Johnson is jailed for 20 weeks.
He would usually be required to serve up to half of that sentence in custody but his time spent on remand will be deducted, meaning he is set to be released immediately.
Judge addresses defendant
Mr Justice Butcher is now addressing Johnson.
“In the early morning of October 6 last year, you went to the flat of your employer and friend, Steven Coulson and you were involved in a tragic altercation with him which left him dead.
”As the jury have found, you do not bear any criminal responsibility for that death.
“By their verdicts the jury have found you did not assault Steven Coulson with the intention of stealing from him.
”But what you did do is then proceed to steal from Mr Coulson, who was dead or dying in his flat.
“You took some £256 from his safe and moreover this was so you could obtain or try to obtain drugs, in particular cocaine.”
“There was a degree of planning involved after the event which resulted in Mr Coulson’s death.
”You stole from the deceased’s safe inside his home while he was dead or unconscious.
”You searched his property and tried to gain access to the safe by a process of phone calls made to Jake Coulson and Mary Ann Cunningham.
“Only when those attempts failed did you discover the key to the safe.”
Justice Butcher continues: “Mr Coulson’s family have been caused additional distress as a result of the offence of theft.”
Case back under way
The case of Johnson is back under way.
He is to be sentenced for theft of cash from Mr Coulson’s safe.
The court hears he has one caution from 2003 but is of otherwise previous good character.
John Elvidge QC, defending, says Johnson has done 183 days in custody on remand.
Defendant to be sentenced at 2pm
Johnson will be sentenced at 2pm for theft of money from Mr Coulson’s safe.
Also not guilty of manslaughter
Paul Johnson is found NOT GUILTY of the alternative offence of manslaughter.
Verdict in
There is a verdict in the Paul Johnson murder trial.
Everyone assembling in court for the verdict to be taken.
Choked boss accused accepts causing his death
A worker accused of killing his boss told a court he accepted causing his death by putting him a choke hold - but insisted he was acting in self-defence and did not intent to do serious harm.
Paul Johnson is alleged to have murdered building firm owner Steve Coulson at his flat in the early hours - before ransacking his safe as he lay dead or dying on the floor.
Johnson told Newcastle Crown Court he was suicidal on the night of the alleged attack and went to Mr Coulson’s flat in Stakeford, Northumberland, for help.
Johnson's evidence ends
Johnson has now concluded giving evidence and goes back to the secure dock with a dock officer at his side.
Asked about recovery position
Asked why he put Mr Coulson in the recovery position, he replied: “So he could breathe. After he had been unconscious I thought that was the best position for him instead of the position he had been beforehand.”
Behaved in a 'deceitful way'
Mr Smith: “Would you say you behaved in a deceitful way that morning?”
Johnson: “Yes, definitely. By making deceitful phone calls and texts.”
Mr Smith: “Who did you want to mislead?”
Johnson: “Anyone who was asking really.”
Mr Smith: “Were those injuries inflicted by you with a view to deceiving the police?”
Johnson: “No definitely not.”
He adds: “I didn’t have the balls to cut myself.”
Asked about injuries
Johnson is asked about injuries found on him.
Mr Smith says: “Did you inflict some of these injuries on yourself inside Mr Coulson’s flat?”
Johnson: “No definitely not.”
'Mislead from what I was doing'
Mr Smith: “How would people have been misled?”
Johnson: “They would’ve thought he was fine.”
Mr Smith: “Why did you do that?”
Johnson: “To mislead people from what I was doing.”
Purpose 'to mislead people'
Mr Smith: “What would be the purpose of doing that?”
Johnson: “To mislead people.”
Mr Smith: “To mislead them in what way?”
Johnson: “I just didn’t want anyone to interfere in what I was planning on doing.
”I never thought of anyone else. It’s a selfish thing and a damned disgrace and I know that.
”I didn’t do that because I knew he was dead. I didn’t know he was dead.
“If I knew I would have stopped there and overdosed next to him.”
'What was the effect?'
Mr Smith: “What you did, having drawn all the curtains and blinds at some stage and snapped the key in the lock, took Mr Coulson’s mobile phone, told Sian McLeod he was in Morpeth. And what was the effect going to be of all that?”
Johnson: “I didn’t really think about that. I was more interested in taking drugs and killing myself than anything else.”
Denies snapping key
Johnson is shown a picture of a key snapped in the lock of Mr Coulson’s door, which he denies snapping deliberately.
Mr Smith said: “It’s another lie, isn’t it, Mr Johnson?”
Johnson: “It’s not a lie, I’ve snapped more than one key before.”
Mr Smith accused Johnson of giving a “dishonest account” and says it would be impossible for a bedside table with a bottle of water on it not to have been disturbed, as shown in photographs, if his account were true.
The case is adjourned for lunch until 2.10pm when Johnson will continue giving evidence.
'Absolute mayhem'
Johnson says he thinks he might have restrained him with his arm around his neck two times, rather than three.
He adds:
“It was absolute mayhem. He was like a man possessed, there was no speaking to him, he just went beserk.”
Johnson is being quizzed about how he put his arm around Mr Coulson’s neck.
He agreed he did it from behind and demonstrates with his arm.
He denies taking him by surprise from behind and says he spun him around before putting his arm around his neck.
Johnson asked about phone call
Johnson is asked about a call to Mr Coulson’s phone from his former partner, Sian McLeod, which he ignored.
Mr Smith asks: “Did it cross your mind to shout into the bedroom ‘Stevie, Sian is on the phone, do you want me to answer it?’.”
Johnson: “No, at that time I just wanted to get some drugs and go and kill myself.”
Mr Smith: “For all you know he might have been sitting on the end of the bed.”
Johnson: “I honestly don’t know, it never even crossed my mind.”
He adds: “I thought I had left straight away. I had no idea how long I had been there.
“When the police said I had been there for four hours I didn’t believe them.”
'If I knew he was dead I would have never left'
Johnson says he did not go back to check on Mr Coulson after 5.50am.
Mr Smith: “Did you hear nothing at all indicating he might have recovered?”
Johnson: “No.”
Mr Smith: “Did you even look in through the door to see what state he was in?”
Johnson: “No.”
Mr Smith: “How were you able to tell the police he was alive when you left?”
Johnson: “Because the last time I looked he was breathing.
“If I knew he was dead I would never have left that house.”
Johnson says if he had asked Mr Coulson for money, he would have said yes and if he wanted money, he would have asked him on the phone beforehand.
He adds: “I would never go there intentionally to hurt him or rob him.”
'All you were interested in was getting your hands on his money'
Mr Smith: “Did you think he was alright if he had passed his own excrement?”
Johnson: “I don’t know what I was thinking, I don’t know what I was doing.”
He adds: “I know it’s no excuse, my actions are absolutely disgusting but I was in no fit state to know what I was doing.”
Johnson admits looking in Mr Coulson’s wallet for money for drugs as he lay on his bedroom floor but says there was none in it.
Mr Smith says:
“The truth is you couldn’t have cared less about Steven Coulson lying on the floor of his bedroom in that state. All you were interested in was getting your hands on his money, isn’t that right?”
Johnson: “After the incident happened I just wanted to get out of that house and do away with myself.”
'I just wanted to get out of there'
Mr Smith: “You do know, you weren’t interested in Mr Coulson’s condition, were you?”
Johnson: “Not really at that minute. I just wanted to get out of there.”
Johnson says it was only after two to three hours “I even thought of taking the money”.
