Murder trial begins of man accused of stabbing neighbour (From St Helens Star)

Trial begins of Paul Lyon who is accused of stabbing neighbour Heather Dyer on Chapel Street

6:30pm Tuesday 18th September 2012 in News

A MURDER trial has heard allegations a young woman was stabbed to death by her neighbour who had become angered by her repeated noisy behaviour.

Prosecutors say Paul Lyon knifed 22-year-old Heather Dyer three times as she left her flat above his home and also repeatedly stabbed one of her friends, leaving him with life threatening injuries.

A new trial started at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after delays in the court proceedings that followed her death on Chapel Street in July, 2011.

The court was told the attack happened about 40 minutes after Lyon told another neighbour he was going to kill Miss Dyer if she did not stop playing music which was keeping him awake.

Jurors were told she had been due to be evicted from her home three days later following repeated complaints by Lyon about her noisy conduct.

Opening the prosecution case, Andrew Menary, QC, said: "Sadly the defendant did not wait until that date to arrive instead he took matters into his own hands. “ He added: "In the early hours Heather Dyer and some of her friends were leaving her home the defendant attacked her outside her front door.

“He deliberately stabbed her three times to the chest and abdomen and when friends tried to intervene one of them, William Taylor was also stabbed several times.

"Despite emergency treatment Heather Dyer died and but for such treatment William Taylor's would surely have proved fatal."

He said that a sharp fish filleting knife was used without warning and a pathologist concluded that he had come from behind Miss Dyer and inflicted the wounds.

One penetrated her chest to a depth of five and a quarter inches and cut her aorta and left pulmonary artery causing massive blood loss.

Lyon, 45, of Chapel Street, St Helens, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Miss Dyer and attempting to murder 25-year-old Mr Taylor. He also denies an alternative lesser charge of wounding Mr Taylor.

The case continues