A man who drunkenly claimed to be Frank Sinatra's lovechild told his mum he was "gutted" after killing a man he'd just learnt was actually his dad, a trial heard.
Martin Greensmith went to ground after fleeing the scene of Steven Shevels' death in the beer garden of the Queen’s Head in Willington on Christmas Eve, Teesside Crown Court heard.
His mum urged him to hand himself in on December 25, after the 37-year-old pushed Mr Shevels over. He had only heard the news they were father and son a short time earlier, a jury was told.
Greensmith described his life as a "mess" to his mother while he was lying low as detectives searched for their suspect.
Jurors heard the contents of a series of text messages the defendant shared with his mother, Angela Greensmith, in the hours before he was arrested, initially on suspicion of murder.
Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, read out the messages which were downloaded from the defendant’s mobile phone after he was arrested.
Among them, the defendant’s mother urged him to hand himself in as "staying away might make things worse".
Greensmith told his mother: "I really am worried. I don’t want to go to jail, this was all an accident. I didn’t mean no harm to him – I only pushed him."
In another, he wrote: "I’m gutted mam. I really wish this wasn’t happening to me."
The defendant told his mother that he was worried about being remanded in custody over the Christmas period and wanted a solicitor on hand when he was arrested.
The jury heard how Greensmith searched the internet looking for legal representation and for sentencing guidelines for involuntary manslaughter.
In one message to a detective, after his mother gave police his mobile number, he said: "I'm just really worried about the outcome, I'm not a violent person, I just felt intimidated and pushed him to get away from me.
"This is all a mess, and I'm proper devastated about it all."
Police outside the Queen's Head in Willington on Christmas day
(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
The officer offered to send an unmarked police vehicle to pick him up before he arrived home at around midday on Christmas Day and was arrested.
Jurors heard how a number of people working and running pubs in Mr Shevels' hometown of Crook described the 61-year-old as a ‘nuisance’ when he was in drink.
Mr Shevels would regularly tell people that he was Frank Sinatra’s lovechild and had been married to Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the court heard.
Paramedics spent an hour trying to revive him but he was eventually declared dead at the scene.
Pathologist Jennifer Bolton told the court that Mr Shevels suffered a cardiac arrest while unconscious and never recovered.
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She said the cause of death was triggered by the fall and not an underlying heart condition he had.
Greensmith, of Rockingham Road, Sunnybrow, Willington, denies a charge of manslaughter and maintains that he acted in self-defence.
The trial continues.