A MAN accused of murdering a rival drug dealer told a court he was a harmless businessman who hated knives.

Abdul Fatah Suleiman, 28, accused of stabbing Anton Levin, 24, to death, was cross-examined at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Suleiman is said to have murdered Mr Levin after allegedly luring him to the flat of heroin and crack-addicted prostitute Danielle Russell, in St Ann’s Road, Southend, on November 19, 2014.

Amjad Malik, QC, prosecuting, quizzed Suleiman over his role in the attempted robbery of another rival drug dealer, known as Box, in Sutton Road, Southend, just hours before Mr Levin’s death.

Mr Malik claimed Suleiman was trying to “eliminate” Box as a competitor after recently returning to Southend from Bristol.

Suleiman said: “Fundamentally, what I am trying to get across to the jury is that, at the age of 27, yes I was dealing drugs, but I was not harming anybody.

“I haven’t as much as had a fight in ten years. Until Danielle Russell mentioned him, this is a person (Box) I had never seen, had no contact with, had never heard of before in my life, and for me to want to hurt or seriously harm that person does not make sense.

“I’m not here for drugs. I’m not proud of anything I’ve done in my last ten years and if I could erase it, I would, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I never had any intention of harming anybody in my life.

“If I could help people now, that’s the only thing I’m going to do to make myself a better man. That’s the God’s honest truth. I can’t say anything else, other than I put my hands up for the things I’ve done in my life.

“I’ve been through these things, but the future is the future and I’m going to try to better myself – I’m not here to glorify anything or make myself look good.”

Suleiman allegedly carried out the attempted robbery with two accomplices – a 16-year-old from Thurrock and a 17-yearold from Basildon, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Suleiman said he knew one of them was carrying a knife and suspected the other was too.

When Mr Malik asked him why he did not question the boy on this, Suleiman said: “I had no reason to ask. I don’t like knives to be honest.” Suleiman was arrested in Norway last June.

  • The trial continues.