Accused claims he forgot he had fish knife in his hand (From St Helens Star)

Accused claims he forgot he had fish knife in his hand

8:57pm Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News

A MAN who stabbed his female neighbour to death has told a jury that he had forgotten he was armed when he lashed out.

Liverpool Crown Court has heard that Paul Lyon killed 22-year-old Heather Dyer and seriously injured William Taylor during a confrontation outside his home in the early hours of the morning.

It has been alleged that he deliberately stabbed Miss Dyer after a history of noisy anti-social behaviour from her flat above his home in Chapel Street, St Helens.

Giving evidence on Monday he claimed that he swung the fish filleting knife without thinking after he was knocked to the ground by one of the group.

Lyon, 46, said he was standing outside the flat to get “fresh air” when the confrontation happened at about 2.40am on Saturday, July 23 last year.

He said he found the knife on his electricity meter cupboard after he had used it for gardening that day and was holding it when one of Miss Dyers’ friends, Marie Stanley, accused him of getting Miss Dyer evicted for making excessive noise.

Lyon told the court: “I stepped outside the doorway towards the railings to ask why she was blaming me for all this. I felt a tug on me and went forward.

“I think I landed on my hands and knees. I tried getting up. I was scared.

“I thought I was going to start getting kicked and hit. I started swinging my arms, forgetting I had the knife in my hands. I was in a panic.”

Asked by his barrister, Stuart Lawson-Rogers, QC, if he accepted he had inflicted the wounds to the two victims he replied "yes”.

But further questioned Lyon, who has severe epilepsy and has never held down a job because of his illness, denied that he had intended using the knife to injure anyone.

He told the court that he only realised anyone was injured when he was told: “The lad in the road, I think it was his brother or friend, said: ‘You’ve stabbed him, you’ve stabbed him’.

“I started saying I was sorry to him. Someone jumped on my back and hit me, I think it was with a brick.

“I was very scared. I knew what had happened to the lad but I didn’t know I had stabbed Heather until the policeman told me.”

A 999 operator heard Lyon shouting “come on, come on -why did you attack me?” but he said he couldn’t remember saying that.

Asked what he was thinking as he awaited his police interview he said: “I felt very scared and disgusted in myself.”

Lyon denies murdering Miss Dyer and attempting to murder 25-year-old Mr Taylor.

The case continues