Police taped Darronte Dill confessing to a fellow suspect that he and another man committed a double murder in St David's, a jury heard yesterday.

The recording was made after the fellow suspect, Roger Lightbourne Sr., volunteered to be put in a cell next to Dill and get him to talk about the crime.

During a detailed account of the killings, Dill allegedly told Mr. Lightbourne he and a friend named "Mister" went out that night "to go and get someone to kill". He went on to describe stabbing a black man and a white man to death, slitting the white man's throat and setting the black man's body on fire.

Dill, of Pembroke, plus Mr. Lightbourne senior and his son Roger Lightbourne Jr. from St. David's, had all been arrested on suspicion of killing friends Maxwell Brangman, 57, who was white, and Frederick Gilbert, 53, who was black.

The victims, who lived in derelict buildings around St David's, were stabbed multiple times as they slept in a hut on a dock near the Black Horse Tavern in St. David's early on September 21 2008.

Dill, 19, is currently on trial at Supreme Court accused of the killings, which he denies. The jury heard yesterday from Detective Constable Rohan Henry how Mr. Lightbourne Sr. and Dill were placed in separate cells next door to each other in the dark at Hamilton Police Station late one night while they were both in custody.

Det Con Henry and a colleague were in another cell nearby and recorded the conversation, although Mr. Lightbourne did not know there was a recording device. Detailing his recollection of what transpired, Det Con Henry told the jury that Mr. Lightbourne called out to ask who was there, and Dill identified himself by replying "it's me big daddy".

Mr. Lightbourne told Dill to search his cell to see if there was a recording device in it but the Police had placed the device in front of Mr. Lightbourne's cell so neither would see it.

"Roger asked Dill to tell him what happened on that evening," recalled Det. Con. Henry. "Dill said that they left their home that evening he and Mister. They left their home to go and get someone to kill. He said that it was Mister's idea."

Mr. Henry recalled Dill describing how he and Mister made their way on foot to the shed on the dock near the Black Horse, checking as they went that there were no people or cameras around.

"He said they entered the shed and there were two persons in the shed, one was on the ground and one was on a couch. He said they asked each other which one they were taking. He said he decided to take the black one, that's the one on the floor. He said at that time he had on a glove on his right hand and held the knife in that same right hand.

"He said the other glove he gave to Mister because Mister did not have one. He said he placed his left hand to his back and he began, as they say, 'jooking' the guy with the knife that's the black guy.

"He said while jooking the black guy, the black guy got up and he continued jooking him. He said the black guy ran out through the shed through the back door and he jumped into the sea.

"As Roger questioned him further he said he saw the guy swimming out through the sea and he heard him coughing. He said by the way that he was coughing he knew that he was going to die so he 'pronounced him dead'.

"When Roger continued questioning, he said that he returned to the shed. He said he jooked the white guy in his chest. He said the white guy would not die so he slit his throat twice. He said the white guy still would not die and was looking at them, so Mister took a rock and he smashed his face.

"As he and Roger continued speaking he said they had no matches so they searched through the shed and they found a lighter.

"He said with the lighter they caught the books in the shed on fire and they caught the white guy Max on fire. When he was asked by Roger, he said he caught the place on fire so it would burn the evidence."

According to prosecutor Rory Field, Dill played a part in attacking Mr. Brangman who was hit in the head and face and stabbed four times, and Mr. Gilbert who was stabbed 13 times. Mr. Field has explained that Dill may have acted with others who are not on trial, but that does not mean the jury should not find him guilty.

Mr. Brangman's body was found in the burned hut, and Mr. Gilbert's body was later recovered from the sea.

According to Det. Con. Henry in his evidence yesterday, Dill went on to tell Mr. Lightbourne Sr. how he and Mister went home and Dill removed the clothes he was wearing a T-shirt, ski mask, gloves, trousers and Reebok classic sneakers. He put these items, along with a knife, in someone named Buffy's garbage.

The detective said Mr. Lightbourne told Dill he "should have told him first". Then the pair prayed together, with Mr. Lightbourne asking God for forgiveness for "setting a bad example". The jailer came and took Dill away after the conversation ended, and Det. Con. Henry retained the recording device.

The case continues.