A father told a 999 operator that his son was a 'f****** crazy b******' after being kissed on the head and then stabbed, a court has heard. Andrew Roberts, 37, is accused of attacking his 56-year-old father, David Roberts, at his home in Woodchurch, Merseyside, on December 16 last year.
Alleged attack details
The jury at Liverpool Crown Court was told that Andrew Roberts had been staying with his father at the one-bedroom flat and had consumed a significant amount of alcohol the night before. The following morning, he apologized and promised not to drink heavily again. Both men cleaned the kitchen and then watched a film together in the living room.
Prosecutor Gerry Baxter said that when the defendant stood up from the couch, his father assumed he was going to the toilet. Instead, Roberts walked behind his father and began punching him repeatedly on the back of the head and both sides of his face. David Roberts then felt blood running down his chest and realized he had been stabbed. He raised his hands to defend himself and saw blood, discovering a wound on his chest that was bleeding heavily.
The defendant fled the flat, and David Roberts locked the door to prevent his return. He went to the bathroom and found a stab wound on the front of his chest, as well as cuts on his hands sustained while trying to defend himself.
Injuries and evidence
Mr. Roberts was taken to Aintree Hospital, where doctors treated a 4cm stab wound to the right side of his chest and a laceration on his left hand. The knife blade, smeared with the victim's blood, was recovered from the lounge floor near where he had been seated. The handle was missing.
Mr. Baxter noted that the defendant did not go to the kitchen to retrieve the knife, suggesting it was already on him when he attacked. David Roberts recalled that before the assault, his son had visited the toilet. Upon returning, he leaned over, kissed his father on the head, and said, 'This is the last time you ever get a kiss off me.'
Arrest and messages
Police later found Andrew Roberts drinking a can of lager and carrying a case of beer. He fled upon seeing officers but was apprehended in an alleyway near shops on Arrowe Park Road. He had a small cut on the back of his neck and dried blood on his hand.
In a prepared statement, Roberts claimed his father was drunk and had been insulting his wife before the incident. He alleged his father lunged at him and punched him during a scuffle. However, text messages recovered from Roberts' phone revealed he had told his wife, Colleen, 'I wanna come home or kill him' and 'I'm gonna kill Dave.' At 11:30 pm, he wrote: 'I want to get nicked. Got a meat cleaver, so I'm safe.' The following morning, his wife responded that she was 'done' and that he had 'drank again and became aggressive.' Roberts replied at 11:20 am: 'If you don't hear from me, I've killed him,' and later at 12:12 pm: 'I'm going to kill this Dave.'
999 call
The court heard a recording of the 999 call made by David Roberts after the stabbing. He said: 'My son just got up and stabbed me in the neck. I'm bleeding everywhere. I'm gonna pass out. He's bolted out the door. He's stabbed me in the bloody chest as well.' He reported blood spurting from his chest and described his son as a 'f****** crazy b******.' He added that he had been helping his son, who was homeless, and that this was the thanks he got.
Andrew Roberts, represented by Brendan Carville, denies attempted murder and wounding with intent. The trial continues.
