A 57 YEAR OLD MAN CALMLY PULLED A FOOT LONG BUTCHE

A 57 YEAR OLD MAN CALMLY PULLED A FOOT LONG BUTCHERS KNIFE

FROM HIS BACK AFTER HE WAS ATTACKED BY A JEALOUS HUSBAND, THE OLD

BAILEY HEARD ON MONDAY.

MOMENTS EARLIER THE HUSBAND HAD SLASHED HIS ESTRANGED WIFE,

SAID MR STEPHEN HOPKINS, PROSECUTING.

THE JURY HEARD VALENTINE RICHARDSON WAS STABBED TWICE IN THE

BACK WHEN HE TUSSLED WITH GEORGE HILL,41.

AND AFTER FALLING INTO A GARDEN HEDGE, PUSHING THE KNIFE

FURTHER INTO HIS BACK, HE PULLED THE 12 INCH BLADE OUT AND HANDED IT

TO A NEIGHBOUR.

MR HOPKINS SAID HILL HAD GONE TO A MITCHAM, SURREY HOME TO

CONFRONT HIS WIFE WHO HAD LEFT HIM AND MOVED IN WITH RICHARDSON.

WHEN HIS WIFE ANSWERED THE FRONT DOOR HILL ATTACKED HER WITH

THE KNIFE, BUT SHE MANAGED TO ESCAPE, THE COURT HEARD.

THEN RICHARDSON WAS SLASHED AS HE TOLD HILL TO DROP THE

KNIFE.

ONE STAB BLOW TO THE LEFT EYE CUT THROUGH BONE AND THE EYE

ITSELF, SAID MR HOPKINS.

AS THE TWO STRUGGLED OUTSIDE THE HOME RICHARDSON WAS STABBED

TWICE MORE IN THE BACK.

HILL LEFT HIM LYING ON THE HEDGE WITH THE KNIFE IN HIS BACK,

SAID COUNSEL.

”THERE YOU GO SON,” HILL ALLEGEDLY SAID AS HE FLED THE

SCENE.

THE JURY HEARD HILL AND HIS WIFE HAD EXPERIENCED AN UNHAPPY

MARRAIGE AND SEPARATED IN 1978.

AFTER A YEAR RICHARDSON, WHO HAD

WORKED FOR THE COUPLE IN A PUB SOME YEARS EARLIER, ASKED MRS HILL TO

MOVE INTO HIS BORDERGATE HOME.

MR HOPKINS SAID HILL HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP

TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ATTACK AND ON JULY 21 LAST YEAR HE CONFRONTED HIS

WIFE.

RICHARDSON’S EYE WAS SERIOUSLY DAMAGED, BUT HE SURVIVED THE

ATTACK.

MRS HILL ESCAPED WITH MINOR INJURIES.

HILL, A FORMER PUBLICAN, OF MOFFAT COURT, GAP ROAD,

WIMBLEDON, DENIES THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF HIS WIFE AND RICHARDSON.

HE

ALSO DENIES INFLICTING GREVIOUS BODILY HARM.

ENDS.

NOTE: COUNSEL DID NOT MENTION EXTENT OF DAMAGE TO EYE OR EXTENT OF

INJURIES TO WIFE.

.

WILL BE IN FINAL COPY.