THE MAN accused of murdering his former boss and attempting to murder three colleagues at a New Inn office did not give evidence at his trial yesterday.

The jury was told that Russell Carter, who denies murdering company director Kingsley Monk and attempting to murder Gethin Heal, Robert Lewis and Nathan Taylor at the Driverline 247 office last October, would not take to the stand.

Newport crown court also heard evidence from consultant forensic psychiatrist Doctor Phillip Joseph, who said, in his opinion, Carter, 52, was not suffering from any abnormality of mind, which would substantially diminish his responsibility for committing the offence.

Dr Joseph questioned evidence given last week by Dr Sukhinder Shergill, who said Carter was suffering from paranoid and antisocial personality disorders.

Dr Joseph told the jury that if this was true, Carter would have been expected to act impulsively to a message left on his answerphone by Mr Monk a week before the incident in New Inn.

The court had previously heard Mr Monk called Carter a “spineless coward” in the message after he failed to turn up for a driving job he was paid in advance for.

Dr Joseph said: “If having received that phonecall and if he did have a serious personality disorder as described by Dr Shergill, you would expect, as a psychiatrist, for him to take immediate action following that phonecall.”

He also told the court Carter exaggerated how depressed he was at the time of his arrest.

The jury previously heard Carter, of Penrhos Crescent, Rumney, Cardiff, bound and gagged the men at gun-point during a four-hour ordeal on October 20 last year before setting the offices on fire.

Proceeding.