An alleged murderer said he discovered a burglar who targeted his home was a friend from primary school just seconds after fatally stabbing him in the neck.
Karl Townsend told a jury he realised he knew Jordan Brophy after inflicting a number of fatal wounds on him following a break-in at Townsend’s home. The 32-year-old had discovered Mr Brophy and two other men burgling his Halewood address last year.
Prosecutors allege Townsend then attacked Mr Brophy “out of revenge or punishment”, inflicting two sets of wounds on him, one inside his home when he found him there and another a few minutes later on Beechwood Avenue. Townsend and his half-brother Jamie Cunningham, 23, are on trial at Liverpool Crown Court for murder and possession of a bladed article. Both deny the charges.
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The pair allegedly armed themselves with knives after being alerted by Ring doorbell to a break-in at Townsend's Halewood home. Prosecutors say they rushed to the address and confronted the intruders. Townsend is said to have stabbed Mr Brophy in the head and arm, before twice knifing him in the face.
One stab wound went through his left optic nerve and damaged his temporal lobe. Liverpool Crown Court has heard Townsend and Cunningham left the scene, but then returned, when Townsend allegedly stabbed the "defenceless" 31-year-old in his jugular vein. Richard Pratt, QC, prosecuting, has said Townsend does not dispute causing Mr Brophy's death but denies murder.
The jury has now heard from eyewitnesses at the scene, been shown footage of the incident and heard from the pathologist who examined Mr Brophy's body.
Today, they heard evidence from Townsend himself. This morning saw him tell the court that Mr Brophy “slashed out” at him with a knife in the hallway of his home after he went inside. Townsend said he feared for his life as he stabbed Mr Brophy in the head with such force that two pieces of the knife were left lodged in his brain.
He also claimed one of Mr Brophy’’s fellow burglars had a gun at the time, causing him to flee. Townsend returned to the street minutes later and said he heard an unidentified man shout “shoot him” in his direction, shortly before he stabbed Brophy again, this time in the neck.
This afternoon, giving evidence on the final alleged attack, Townsend said Mr Brophy had startled him outside on the street and the two were “tussling”, during which he must have inflicted the wound to his jugular vein.
He told Anesta Weekes, QC, defending, that after he had caused that injury he finally saw Mr Brophy’s face properly for the first time and recognised him as a friend from primary school. In footage showed to jurors earlier this week Townsend can be heard addressing Mr Brophy as "Jordan".
Ms Weekes said: “When you saw his face did you recognise him?” Townsend said: “Yeah I recognised him.”
Ms Weekes said: “How did that make you feel?” Townsend replied: “Disappointed, because I knew him.”
Ms Weekes said: “Well how did you know him?” Townsend said: "We went to primary school together when we were kids.”
Ms Weekes said: “How old were you when you first knew him?” Townsend said: “I do not know what age it was exactly, maybe nursery, but we were the same age and we were in the same year.”
Townsend said Brophy then denied he was one of the burglars in the house, saying he was “the driver”. He told jurors that, while the two men only went to primary school together, he had seen Mr Brophy months before the incident after having his dad to his house for Christmas.
Townsend said: "The last time I had seen Jordan Brophy he was shaking my hand for having his dad over for Christmas dinner.”
He later left the scene and went to his mother’s house where he was arrested. Mr Brophy bled to death on the street within minutes of being stabbed.
Mr Pratt is currently in the middle of his cross examination of Townsend. The prosecution allege Townsend’s description of the situation inside his home, including the claim that weapons were present, is false and Brophy’s wounds show he never tried to attack Townsend and was only trying to defend himself.
The cross examination is set to continue tomorrow.
Proceeding
