A FATHER was murdered in a violent attack before his body was wrapped in a carpet and dumped in a reservoir, a court heard.

Drug user Darren McMinn was subjected to a “prolonged, violent and severe assault” before his death, a jury at Manchester Crown Court was told.

The body of 48-year-old Mr McMinn was later discovered in the Yarrow Reservoir in Hodge Brow, near Rivington on May 3.

Candido Pereira, aged 37, denies murdering Mr McMinn, claiming he acted in self-defence, but has admitted preventing unlawful burial of a body.

Simon Medland, prosecuting, said Mr McMinn had visited the defendant’s basement flat in Chorley New Road, Bolton, on April 11 to take heroin.

Both men were described as drug users.

Mr Medland told the court: “Darren McMinn had a high amount of heroin in his bloodstream after being given the drug by this defendant.

“McMinn did not die because of the heroin, although it would have made him drowsy and dopey.

"The prosecution will ask you to look more closely, not at the level of heroin, but of the consolidation of injuries that were found on his body.

“He had injuries to his face and neck, a stab wound to one of his arms, fractured ribs and severe injury to vital structures in his neck.

“A pathologist records that he was strangled to death and that very significant force must have been applied to his neck.

“He was first supplied with heroin and then murdered in a prolonged, violent and severe assault.

“It was this violence that led to his death.”

Police launched an investigation after friends and family reported Mr McMinn, who was known as Maccy, missing.

Their inquiries revealed that Pereira was the last person to have seen him.

But when officers went to Pereira's flat they noticed that part of the carpet had been replaced.

Mr Medland added: “After looking at the hole that had been patched up, officers thought it was a curious shape.

“The defendant was interviewed several times under caution and finally admitted that he had been responsible for killing Mr McMinn, wrapping up his body with carpet, sheet and ropes.

“He then took officers up to the reservoir where divers recovered the body.”

Mr McMinn’s blood was also found in Pereira’s flat.

The court heard that Mr McMinn’s body had been weighted down with electrical transformer boxes and had lain undiscovered in the Yarrow Reservoir for two weeks.

Pereira replaced the piece of carpet that he had used to wrap up Mr McMinn’s body, buying the new carpet from Bolton firm S&R Flooring Limited.

The court heard he claimed to staff that he needed it because his cat had scratched the old floor covering and he wanted his tenant's bond back.

Mr Medland said Mr McMinn, of Connaught Square, Tonge Moor, was described by his former partner, Juliette Taffe as “cheeky and shy”.

“She loved him and to her he had a cheeky personality, tons of energy and was quite shy," he said.

“She was head over heels in love with him.

“Over many years Juliet was observing her once teenage sweetheart descending into a downward spiral with drug abuse and trouble with the police.

“This strained them to breaking point and they separated.”

The couple had one child together, 29-year-old Saul McMinn, who described his father as “a happy-go-lucky” person.

On the day of his death, Mr McMinn had a phone call with his aunt, Denise Hallam at around 12.45pm and also sent a text to his friend, Daniel Farrell at 10.29am.

The court heard that Mr Farrell tried contacting his friend six times before receiving a reply at 6.57pm, saying ‘I’m busy call you later’.

Mr Medland added: “Mr Farrell doesn’t believe that text was written by Maccy as it didn’t read like something he would write.

“There were other texts between 7pm to 7.04pm and Mr Farrell didn’t think these texts were from Maccy either.”

The prosecution allege that Mr McMinn was already dead when the texts were sent.

The day before Mr McMinn's body was found, Pereira admitted to police that he had killed him, but claimed that Mr McMinn had come at him with a knife and he only acted in self-defence.

Mr Medland added: “There is no dispute that Mr McMinn died in that flat and the defendant is responsible for his death.

“He says he acted in lawful self-defence that he thought was necessary at the time.

“There is a disparity of injury between Mr McMinn and the defendant, who was barely injured at all.

“If he had been subject to a knife attack and needed to use force to protect himself, it didn’t take him long to get his composure back, cut out carpet, go about buying new carpet and come across as a normal customer described as smiling, bubbly and polite.

“He didn’t report the attack to the police but went about covering his tracks, on his phone and cleaning up his flat, and then disposing of his body.

“This case is not one where this defendant should be acquitted for Mr McMinn’s death on self-defence — this is murder.”

The trial continues.