THE gangland execution of Nantwich market trader Brian Waters was ordered by a rich drug dealer, a court has been told.
John Godfrey Wilson is accused of murdering the married father-oftwo at Burnt House Farm, Tabley on June 19 last year.
Wilson was not at the farm when the alleged murder took place, but it is claimed he ordered the killing after he fell out with Mr Waters, of Mainwaring Close, Stapeley, over a drug deal.
Three other men are accused of murdering the 44-year-old at Chester Crown Court. One of the men on trial, Ashley Guishard, was a European kick-boxing champion before injuring his arm in a motorbike accident.
They have all pleaded not guilty to murder and two counts of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
The trial has been told another man wanted in connection with the murder is an undercover reporter and the son of a millionaire.
Christopher More, aged 27, from Burford Lane Farm, Lymm, fled to Spain within 36 hours of Mr Waters' death. Cheshire Constabulary is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Patrick Harrington, prosecuting, told the jury a plan had been hatched to extract revenge on Mr Waters. He said the masked gang made repeated demands for £20,000 during the course of the brutal murder in a makeshift torture chamber at the farm.
Mr Waters' son, Gavin, 27, and daughter, Natalie, 22, were also tortured during the ordeal, which lasted several hours, the prosecution claims.
Mr Harrington said: 'Brian Waters' death would have been extremely painful. A staple gun was injected into his head and body and a caustic substance poured over him. They burnt him with molten plastic and whipped him with chains.'
A postmortem revealed Mr Waters died after a metal bar was rammed into his body causing severe damage to his internal organs. He had 123 separate injuries to his face and body.
Mr Harrington told the court Mr Waters' main source of income was drug dealing. He said he had been in trouble for money after customs officers seized £22,800 cash at Dover in 1999.
The prosecution say he had been planning one of a number of regular trips to Amsterdam, where it is believed he was planning to broker a deal.
Mr Harrington added: 'The money was seized, which was a grievous loss to Brian Waters. Two years later that money remained confiscated. The effect on him and his family was serious. He never really recovered from it.'
John Godfrey Wilson, 54, from Cliff Road, Glossop, Derbyshire, is in the dock with James Raven, 44, from Parliament Close, Bolton; Otis Lee Matthews, 26, from Melbourne Avenue, Manchester, and Ashley Guishard, 29, from York Road, Sale.
The trial continues.
