'Massacre' trial told of chain alibi

Three generations of the family died in the attack

The man accused of brutally killing four family members at their south Wales home claims he had sex with one of the victims the day before she died.

David Morris, 39, told Swansea Crown Court he had dropped his gold chain at the home of Mandy Power in Kelvin Road, Clydach, in June 1999.

The chain was found by detectives to be covered in Mrs Powers' blood.

David Morris denies four counts of murder

Mrs Power, 34, her children Katie, 10, Emily, eight, and grandmother Doris Dawson, 80, were bludgeoned to death with an iron bar in their home near Swansea later the same month.

Scrap merchant Mr Morris, of Craig Cefn Parc, Clydach, denies four charges of murder.

Giving evidence on Friday, Mr Morris claimed he had visited Mrs Power and given his gold chain to the mother-of-two as a "token", to show that he would return.

Mr Morris said he had wanted the chain to be returned the following day - when the murders took place - but he did not see Mrs Power.

But earlier in the investigation, Mr Morris had denied the chain found at the murder scene had been his.

Just four days before the trial began, the defence said it might well have belonged to him.

Katie Power was one of the child victims

On Friday, the court heard the defendant's cousin, Eric Williams, had agreed to buy Mr Morris a new £170 chain the day after the murders, believing that he was innocent.

Mr Williams - who employed Mr Morris as a builder - drove to a shop in Swansea to buy a chain.

The court heard that Mr Morris was concerned about detectives visiting jewellers with his photograph and asking staff whether they recognised him.

The defendant had also used dried cement to rub into the new chain and damaged the clasp to make it look like the original, the jury was told.

Mr Williams said he had originally failed to tell the police the truth about the replacement chain because he honestly believed his cousin was innocent.

The prosecution claims Morris maintained "for 1,000 days" that the chain found at the scene was not his.

The trial at Swansea Crown Court is continuing - minus one of its panel of jurors who suffered a stroke at the weekend.