Andrew Roberts, a 37-year-old man accused of attempting to murder his father by stabbing him in the chest, has chosen not to give evidence in his trial at Liverpool Crown Court. The defendant, who faces a jury, is charged with the attempted murder of his 56-year-old father, David Roberts.
Incident Details
The incident occurred in December last year at the victim's flat on Big Meadow Road in Woodchurch, Wirral. The two men were reportedly watching a film together when the defendant allegedly stabbed his father in the chest. Prior to the attack, Roberts is said to have kissed his father on the head and stated, "This is the last time you ever get a kiss off me."
Prosecution Case
During the trial, the prosecution outlined that Roberts had been staying with his father and had consumed a significant amount of alcohol the previous evening. He apologized the next morning and promised to reduce his drinking. After cleaning the kitchen together, they watched a film. Roberts then allegedly attacked his father from behind, punching him and stabbing him in the chest. The victim suffered a 4cm stab wound to the chest and a laceration to his hand. A knife blade, smeared with the victim's blood, was recovered from the lounge floor.
Text messages from Roberts' phone were presented in court, including threats to kill his father. In one message, he wrote, "I wanna come home or kill him" and "I'm gonna kill Dave." Another message stated, "I'm going to stab him."
Defense and Plea
On Thursday, defense counsel Brendan Carville informed the court that Roberts had chosen not to give evidence. Earlier, Roberts had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of wounding with intent, which the prosecution did not accept. Judge Simon Medland KC told the jury that Roberts now admits to stabbing his father and intending to cause serious harm, but the prosecution maintains the intent was to kill.
Trial Continues
The jury of four men and eight women retired to consider their verdicts, with deliberations set to resume on Friday. Roberts denies the charge of attempted murder.
