A jury was today deciding if York killer Jason Wade perjured himself to escape a conviction for murder.

Three members of his family have given evidence against him, as did his girlfriend at the time he killed Wayne Nicholson, 24.

But Wade himself decided against going into the witness box at Leeds Crown Court.

On March 10, 1999, when he was on trial for murder at the same court, he told a jury under oath he did not make an appointment for Mr Nicholson to come to his home in Welborn Close, Tang Hall, York.

He also said in evidence that he cut his hand defending himself against Mr Nicholson's attempts to knife him and that he did not stab his victim on the floor.

The prosecution at his second trial claim those were all lies.

Wade, now 29, denies three charges of perjury.

In his first trial, he was acquitted of murder, but convicted of manslaughter.

In his second, he did not call any evidence in his own defence.

The perjury trial jury have copies of letters Wade wrote in prison just after his murder trial, in which he claims to have "got away with murder" and states the opposite of his evidence under oath.

In police interviews read to the jury, Wade claims the letters are all lies, written to annoy prison officers, to help his girlfriend Simone Mariga cope with pressure in York and to help his family cope with pressure from a man called George Clements.

In evidence read to the jury, Wade's sister Amanda said she had never been threatened by Mr Clements although he had written her ten or 12 letters from prison and phoned her once or twice.

Wade's parents David and Kathleen said they are on friendly terms with the Clements family and Mr Clements wrote to them assuring them none of his relatives were responsible for words painted on their house during the murder trial.

And Miss Mariga stated she never asked Wade to write her a letter to help with pressure from others in York. Her statement contradicted Wade's claims to police that her friends thought she was involved in the killing.

Both she and Mr Nicholson's common-law wife Lynn Brooks stated there was an appointment.

Prison officer Gary Hart alleged in the witness box that Wade asked him to read the letters and although the prisoner had had problems with other prison staff, he himself had no difficulties with Wade.

The case continues