An alleged murderer told police he hit a betting shop manager over the head with a hammer and cleaned blood off his face in a car wing mirror as he fled, a court heard.Shafique Aarij is on trial accused of the murder of Cheam father-of-three Andrew Iacovou, 55, at Ladbrokes in Aberconway Road, Morden, on Saturday, May 25. The 21-year-old denies murder but yesterday the court heard he told police he went to the shop to steal money, panicked when an alarm went off, hit Mr Iacovou over the head with a hammer and then fled with money. He told officers he then made his getaway on public transport, stopping to clean the blood off his face using his saliva and looking in a nearby car wing mirror, the court heard. Prosecutor Max Hill QC read a transcript of the interview police conducted with Mr Aarij on May 30, the day he was arrested. 
He said: “I had a knife and a hammer in my bag. I went there to steal money. I knew there was only one person on duty. I asked him to come out and when he opened the door I pushed him “I told him I wanted money from the safe and he said ‘no’. He tried to push me but I said ‘no, I want the money in the safe’. He fought with me and was not willing to give it to me. “He pressed a button and when the alarm rang I was scared and I got upset. I had a hammer in my hand and I got angry and I hit him with the hammer. He was bleeding a little bit. “I became scared and I took that money and ran. When I came out I cleaned [the blood from my face] with my hand using spit. I looked in a car wing mirror.” The court heard he told officers he threw his hat in a bin and discarded his jumper and bag as he fled to Tooting via Hackbridge before wiring money to Pakistan and then going to Stratford and Ilford in East London. He said he spent the next three nights sleeping rough in Ilford and Stratford, stealing clothes from bags left outside a charity shop and shaving and washing in a supermarket toilet, the court heard. The court heard he made the admission in his first interview but then refused to answer under further questioning. The jury was told he showed signs of self harm when he arrived at the police station and told officers he had psychological and heart problems. The trial continues.
source : www.thisislocallondon.co.uk
