MABLETHORPE MURDER TRIAL (DAY 5): Accused tells jury he '˜did not intend' to kill alleged victim

A Mablethorpe man accused of murder this afternoon (Monday) told a jury that he did not intend to kill his alleged victim.
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James Adam, giving evidence on the fifth day of his trial at Lincoln Crown Court, said he was punched to the head by Jamie Rudd.

He ended up on the ground with Mr Rudd straddling him and punching him.

Adam told the jury: “I felt a blow to the back of my head. It just happened. I don’t know who delivered it.

“Then me and Jamie ended up on the floor. Jamie was on top of me. I was just getting blow after blow. The blows were landing on my face.”

He was asked by his barrister Richard Pratt QC: “What happened then?”.

Adam replied “I don’t know to be honest. I really don’t know.

“I didn’t get any blows in. Jamie got up and went out of the alleyway and I got up. He stumbled a little bit. I didn’t notice he was injured but I had loads of blood on me.”

He said he had a small knife in his pocket and added: “I must have got it out because it’s got Jamie’s blood on it. I opened it. I just remember a couple of scuffles.”

Mr Pratt asked him: “Do you remember deliberately stabbing Jamie?”, to which he replied “no”.

Mr Pratt continued: “Or slashing him in the arm?”. Adam replied “No”.

The defence barrister then asked: “Did you intend to kill Jamie?”. Adam replied “No”

Then Mr Pratt asked: “Do you know for sure how he came by this injury?”. Adam replied “No”.

Adam said he had known Jamie Rudd, who was a neighbour, for about 16 months and there had never previously been any trouble between them.

But on the day they argued over a remark alleged to have been made about Adam’s then-partner.

Adam told the jury: “I saw a knife in Jamie’s jeans. Jamie got it out of his waistband. I didn’t give him much time. He had the knife by his side. I took it to be aggressively. Then I hit him in the face. It rocked him a little bit. I punched him hoping he would drop it.

Adam said it was then that he ended up on the ground with Jamie Rudd on top of him.

The prosecution say that Adam stabbed Mr Rudd during the confrontation over an ‘innocent’ remark.

The knife penetrated Mr Rudd’s heart causing him to bleed to death in the street.

Under cross-examination, Adam was asked “Did you use that knife?” He replied “Possibly.”

Adam added: “I got the knife out to get him off me. I didn’t want to use it. I don’t know that I used it.”

James Adam, 46, of Victoria Road, Mablethorpe, denies the murder of Jamie Rudd on August 28 last year and a second charge of possessing an offensive weapon on the same date.

The trial continues.

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