Levi Kent murder trial: Dad of murderer stopped for coffee on way to hand son in

Peter West, 43, of Fisgard Road, today (Tuesday, July 30) told jurors at Portsmouth Crown Court how handing his son Tommy over to the police was the ‘hardest thing’ he has had to do. Giving evidence in court, he said ‘is not a situation’ he would ‘wish upon anyone.’ Tommy West, 18, has admitted murder, robbery and possession of a blade following the frenzied cocaine robbery on Levi Kent. His half-brother Aiden West, 24, of Tudor Close, Gosport, denies murder and possession of a blade but has admitted robbery. He declined to give evidence for the start of the defence case.

Levi was repeatedly stabbed by Tommy West after being lured to shops behind Nobes Avenue after 2am on November 24, 2023, having refused to defer payment on a drugs deal. The victim was knifed in his Vauxhall Corsa before attempting to escape and crashing his car into a wall and garages. Levi was then chased into Keyes Road before he was set upon again.

Peter West recollected how his step daughter phoned him on the morning of November 24 at approximately 10am while he was in TK Max in Fareham.

He told the court: “I remember her asking me to sit down and I said ‘no just tell me’. It was clear something was not right as I think we had spoken shortly before.

“She told me Tommy might have killed somebody - I can’t remember, it was killed or stabbed.”

Peter West recalled how he was trying to get ‘information’ surrounding what had happened and where his son was. After speaking to his step daughter again, he found out that Tommy and Aiden were both at Liam Savage’s home address of Trinity Green, Gosport. The jurors heard how Peter ‘hated’ Savage but call logs demonstrate three calls to his phone on the day in question.

Giving evidence, Peter West said that he called Savage to contact Tommy. He said: “I was a bit frustrated to be honest. I didn’t get what I wanted easily... I wanted to get Tommy into custody.

“Tommy wasn’t talking very well. He wasn’t responding very well. I think the gravity of the situation was making it difficult.”

As a result of the conversation with Tommy, Peter arranged to pick his son up and take hand him into the police - but when arriving at Harbour Tower, his step son, Aiden, also got into the car, which was being driven by Peter’s step-dad, Michael Figgins, 64, of St Ann's Crescent.

Aiden and Tommy West are half brothers who share the same mother and Peter West explained to the jurors how his relationship with his step son has been fractured for a number of years. The court heard how he picked the brothers up and they drove to Queen’s Road, Gosport. CCTV footage shows him hug his 18-year-old son and the same CCTV footage depicts Peter West push his step son away as he attempts to get involved in the embrace shared between the father and son.

Peter said: “I was really angry with him. I was with Tommy as well but I think Tommy.... shut down. I couldn’t feel anything but upset.”

The court heard how there was a three hour gap between the time that Peter picked his son up and when Tommy arrived at the police station. During that time, Tommy visited a friends house and he stopped off for a coffee with his dad. Peter West told the jurors: “A coffee on the way to somewhere where he was going to be questioned all night - I didn’t think a coffee was unreasonable.”

He told the court how Tommy had originally wanted to go for a beer before heading to the police station but he refused.

Other people in the case include the brothers’ mother Joanne West, 45, of no fixed address, who has admitted two counts of assisting an offender. Liam Savage, 37, of Trinity Green in Gosport, has also admitted two counts of assisting an offender. Figgins is also on trial for two counts of assisting an offender.

Sarah Flynn, 36, of James Close in Gosport, was charged with two counts of assisting an offender. 

(Proceeding).