This is the moment a man accused of murdering his ex-partner appears to ‘confess’ to killing her on a 999 call played to court.
Darren Osment is currently on trial for the murder of mother-of-four Claire Holland, who has been ‘missing’ for more than a decade with no trace of her since she left a pub in Bristol.
Prosecutors told the jury that Osment, the father of one of her children, had murdered Claire and made multiple confessions that he did it because their child was taken into care. She was 32 at the time and had said she had planned to meet with Osment on the night of June 6, 2012 after a drinking session at the Seamus O’Donnell pub.
Despite a number of high-profile appeals and campaigns over the years, no trace of her has ever been found.
Jurors heard Osment, 41, had ‘confessed’ on a number of occasions during the years to ‘unburden’ himself as he struggled to live with his ‘horrific’ actions.
The defendant, who denies murder, told police any confessions were due to being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Claire Holland who has been ‘missing’ for more than a decade with no trace of her since she left a pub in Bristol at around 11.15pm on June 6, 2012
Bodycam footage of Darren Osment being arrested by police for the murder of Claire Holland
Body worn footage of his arrest, which has also now been released by police after being shown to the jury
This CCTV shows the mother-of-four’s last moments before she disappeared without trace more than a decade ago
In one apparent confession, he said he had strangled her as ‘no c***, no stupid b**** is going to keep me away from my boy’.
Bristol Crown Court were today played a 999 call to police Osment made in July 2019 where he told handlers he wanted to ‘hand himself in’ for murder at Exeter Police station.
He tells them: ‘I’ve had enough of it all now. I just want the monkey off my back.’
In the call, which has been released by Avon and Somerset Police after being played to the jury, he tells them he ‘sort of’ murdered his ex and added: ‘I know what happened.
‘I just want this off my back,’ he said. ‘I feel very so f***ing bad. I have had it for years on my head and now.’
He added: ‘I basically arranged it didn’t I.’
He then tells the handler: ‘I’ve took the law in my own hands and you know she took my son away from me so I took that from her.’
When asked what he took from her, Osment added: ‘Well her f***ing life really. I’m not proud of it, my kid still asks Mother’s Days and things like that. Like at the time I was younger wasn’t I. I was young and angry.’
In body worn footage of his arrest, which has also now been released by police after being shown to the jury, he is heard stating: ‘I didn’t do it. But I had it arranged.’
In the footage he is heard stating: ‘I didn’t do it. But I had it arranged’
He told police while volunteering his hands to be cuffed: ‘Had enough up to my eyeballs’
Claire was 32 at the time and had said she had planned to meet with Osment on the night of 6 June 2012 after a drinking session at the Seamus O’Donnell pub – CCTV of her last movements
He told police while volunteering his hands to be cuffed: ‘Had enough up to my eyeballs. Had enough ducking and diving, looking over my shoulder and all the rest of it.
‘I’ve had enough. I just wanna get it, whatever’s done is done. I can’t turn back the clock. I want to get it deal with. I had her killed… I gave some money to someone and they had it done.’
He later claimed in police interview he couldn’t remember phoning them or speaking to them on arrival as he was ‘too drunk’.
Osment was released under investigation, but police later launched an undercover operation, for an officer named as ‘Paddy O’Hara’ to be-friend him and build up trust.
It lasted for 20 months and produced 1200 hours of recorded footage.
On one occasion, the jury heard Osment confessed to ‘Paddy’ he had ‘done horrible f***ing shit’ and could not turn the clock back as ‘what is done is done’.
Prosecutor Andrew Langdon KC said he also made reference to Claire having a ‘nice f***ing swimming lesson’ while he spat on the ground in the direction of the sea and then struggled not to vomit and mentioned her body being ‘half way to Spain’.
In a police statement, the defendant said any confessions were due to being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs
Family have described Claire as ‘always smiling,’ bubbly and kind – CCTV of her last moments
The prosecutor told the jury: ‘Her disappearance that night is not some dark coincidence. As he has subsequently confessed a number of times, he met her and he killed her and, either alone or with the help of others, he no doubt would have had to pay given the risk they took, he got rid of her body.’
While on remand awaiting trial, the court heard he made another apparent confession – this time to a fellow inmate.
In a police statement, the defendant said any confessions were due to being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
He told police: ‘I am an alcoholic and I reiterate that any comments I have made contrary to my innocence in this matter are entirely untrue and would only have been made under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
‘Understandably and despite being entirely innocent, I have been under significant pressure as a result of this investigation. It has caused my mental health to decline significantly and I have been extremely isolated.
‘I truly hope that the police are able to find answers to Claire’s disappearance. I did not have any involvement whatsoever.’
Family have described Claire as ‘always smiling,’ bubbly and kind.
They said she had ‘so much going on in her life that she was looking forward to’.
Osment denies murder.
The trial continues.
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