TALES of selling Bibles to would-be pornography purchasers, a castle occupant who flew the Union flag to let the “peasants know he was home,” and a Weardale “psychopath” were all laid before a jury yesterday.

Self-styled “fun loving criminal” Dennis Stafford is on trial at Durham Crown Court accused of threatening to set fire to a car belonging to solicitor Charles Scott, a neighbour in Stanhope Castle, Weardale, County Durham.

The car, a rare specialist kit model of a 50s Royal Sabre, was destroyed by fire at a garage within the castle grounds early on June 22 last year. Nobody has been charged with arson, and Stafford, 75, told the jury he was away visiting friends in Hertford with his wife, Merle, at the time.

Stafford, who has spent the past four decades trying unsuccessfully to have his conviction for the 1967 killing of fruit machine collector Angus Sibbett quashed, is alleged to have told neighbours in Stanhope he would get Mr Scott’s car “torched”.

Giving evidence on the second day of his trial, Stafford told the jury of his past career in crime.

This included a spell during the 50s running a mail order company advertising books “which had been banned for generations”.

When unsuspecting punters sent cheques he would send a bible by return of post.

“I don’t think I was doing anything wrong.

“The book was banned for generations. If I got perverts writing to me for porn and I sent them a bible I’m not going to apologise for it,” he said, explaining that pornography was illegal at the time of the scam.

Stafford also told the jury he had escaped from prison twice, from Wormwood Scrubs and Dartmoor, and that past crimes included receiving stolen goods, country house breaking and fraud.