02/07/96 - Jury retraces steps of unemployed gardener Howard Hughes
Independent

A jury yesterday retraced the steps the prosecution says unemployed gardener Howard Hughes took on the night he allegedly raped and murdered seven-year-old Sophie Hook.

The eight men and four women braved high winds and heavy rain as they toured 14 locations around Llandudno and Colwyn Bay in North Wales with the judge, prosecution and defence lawyers from Chester Crown Court.

Hughes, 31, denies twice raping Sophie and murdering her in Llandudno early in the morning of 30 July last year. The prosecution says Mr Hughes snatched Sophie from a tent, as she camped overnight with her sister and cousin in the back garden of her uncle's home, raped and strangled her and threw her body into the sea.

The court group was also shown Mr Hughes's homein Colwyn Bay, where he lived with his mother, before returning to Chester where the trial continues today.