Boxing Day killing not self-defence, jury told

A man accused of murdering a 23-year-old reveller during a drunken Boxing Day row tried to claim the victim had been breaking into his flat, a court heard.

Luke Miller, 23, died on Commercial Street in Tadcaster at about 07:20 GMT on 26 December, following a single stab wound to the chest when a disagreement spilled into the street.

Defendant Taylor Fenwick, 22, had come up with a "far-fetched" story about the events which led to the fatal stabbing, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Mr Fenwick denies murdering Mr Miller.

Prosecutor David Brooke KC told jurors Mr Fenwick's "first instinct" after the stabbing was to hide the weapon.

Mr Brooke said the defendant had secreted the hunting knife outside his flat and instead put a kitchen knife on the floor of his home to pretend it had been used in a struggle between himself and Mr Miller.

Both knives had the victim's blood on them, the jury heard, with fibres from Mr Miller's coat found on the hunting knife.

The prosecution said Mr Fenwick told paramedics he had been defending himself against Miller, who had tried to get back into his flat after being thrown out.

Mr Brooke said when paramedics arrived the first thing Mr Fenwick said to them was "he tried to break in to mine".

Mr Fenwick, he said, had also coached a young woman who called the emergency services to tell the call handler the victim had been attempting to break-in.

The jury was shown CCTV footage which showed the defendant leaving the victim on the floor and returning to his body twice.

The prosecution claimed this was when was the two knives were switched.

Mr Brooke said the defendant wanted to cause "really serious harm", adding: "This was not lawful defence."

The trial continues.

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