12:39pm Tuesday 9th March 2010
The father accused of murdering his daughter, teenager Sasha Jones, refused to enter the witness box and give evidence on his own behalf today (Tuesday).
Gary John Fisher, aged 48, was warned by the judge that the jury "may draw such inferences as appear proper" from his decision.
Fisher's barrister, Elwen Evans QC, said he had already been warned and appreciated the situation.
Asked if Fisher would be calling any evidence, Miss Evans replied, "No, none at all."
The trial at Swansea crown court quickly moved to closing speeches, first by Chris Clee QC, the barrister leading the prosecution, and then by Miss Evans.
Mr Clee told the jury in his closing address that Fisher's claims that Sasha died in a suicide pact were nonsense.
No-one, he said, would have chosen to be stabbed to death.
"Couldn't he find a better way? A painless way. What's wrong with a hosepipe from the exhaust pipe into the car?
"Did she want to die? The only person who alleges that is the defendant, not her mother, sister or friends."
Sasha, he said, had been making plans. She had enquired about enrolling at Pembrokeshire College and had sent a text message to her boyfriend just the day before she died saying she would spend time with him as soon as her father had returned to Solihull.
The truth, he said, was that Fisher had planned to kill Sasha but never to kill himself.
"This was not in any way, shape or form a suicide pact. That's just a desperate attempt to avoid the consequences of killing his daughter," added Mr Clee.
Of Fisher's decision not to enter the witness box, Mr Clee said, "He will not answer the questions that you and I want him to.
"We expected him to say they had a suicide pact. He does not even have the courage to tell you that is why he killed her.
"He knows his story would unravel," said Mr Clee.
The judge, Mr Justice LLoyd Jones will sum up the case before the jury retires to consider a verdict.
A verdict could be returned as early as this afternoon but is more likely tomorrow.
The court has already heard that after his arrest Fisher refused to answer any questions from the police.
Fisher, from Solihull in Birmingham, is accused of stabbing Sasha to death as she sat in the passenger seat of his Ford Fiesta when it was parked behind the Angel Hotel, Cardigan, on August 2nd last year.
Sasha, aged 17, suffered 22 injuries, including one or possibly two stab wounds to her heart.
Fisher is then said to have driven around west Wales for almost 12 hours before the alarm was raised and police spotted his car near Aberaeron, where they laid a stinger device across the road to puncture the tyres of the Fiesta.
A short while later the car swerved into a layby and hit a parked camper van.
Fisher is alleged to have told several people that Sasha had been "suffering" and he had killed her to put her out of her pain.
Fisher denies murder.
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