A man who launched a ‘cowardly’ knife attack on his lover’s husband outside a Coventry pub has insisted to a jury: “I wanted to hurt him, I did not intend to kill him.”
And Adrian Brock claimed his assertion to the police that he did want to kill his victim Ryan Casey was because he had wanted to punish himself for what he had done.
Brock (45) of Lower Precinct, Coventry, has pleaded not guilty at Warwick Crown Court to attempted murder, although he has admitted an alternative offence of wounding with intent.
Mr Casey’s wife Laura had left him for Brock, but was sitting with her husband outside the Holyhead pub in Holyhead Road, Coventry, following a row with Brock on October 2 last year.
Without any warning Brock attacked Mr Casey from behind and then stabbed him twice to the stomach and abdomen with a knife he had taken from his home, causing life-threatening injuries.
And prosecutor Matthew Farmer has told the jury: “The prosecution say this was clearly with an intention to kill.”
Giving evidence, Brock said that in late November 2015 he was suffering from depression, anxiety and stress, as a result of which he was unable to work and found it hard to leave his flat, and was put on a course of antidepressants.
When he ran out of sick pay, he dropped from taking home £500 a week to just £43, and was then dismissed following his arrest after the attack on Mr Casey.
He said Laura had been ‘very supportive,’ and had tried to assist him, and during that time, in April last year, his father died, leaving his mother distraught.
He added: “My mother passed away on the 22nd of April this year. I blame myself for not being there for her. I was handcuffed to an officer to attend her funeral.”
Of the day of the stabbing, Brock said his relationship with Laura was ‘perfectly OK’ at the time, and they spent the afternoon drinking at a city centre pub until about 6pm.
They then went back towards his flat for Laura to move her car, but on the way they had ‘a little bit of a disagreement.’
“She went to her car. I thought she was going to move it, but she drove away from the area.”
Brock said he waited for her, but after 15-20 minutes she had not returned, and he went inside to go to the toilet.
“I decided I would walk to Laura’s flat, but I was anxious about doing that at that time because it was getting dark, and I was not comfortable in case I got attacked.
“I keep a knife behind the heater outside the toilet, and I took that with me up my sleeve,” he said, explaining he had done that ‘for months’ if he went out alone ‘after a certain time.’
As he was on his way to where he thought she would be, he saw her white Audi TT on the Holyhead pub car park, and he said: “I felt hurt and betrayed. This is a pub where people have been threatening me, it’s the pub where Ryan drinks.”
Brock said he took a picture of Laura’s car and sent it to her with a message saying ‘done,’ which he explained referred to their relationship, ‘because I wanted to hurt her the way she’d hurt me being in the pub.’
He said he then went to look for her, and saw her sitting with a female friend outside, but did not realise Ryan Casey was with her until he was approaching them.
“I could see the side profile of his face. Initially I felt panicked, scared. I felt betrayed.
“He had his back towards me. I ran towards him and kneed him in the side of the head, just the once.
“Ryan fell off his chair, and I followed up with some punches to the side of his face, three to four punches. I hated Ryan for what he’d done to me and how he had made me feel over the past year.
Asked by his barrister Zafar Ali QC what his intention was, Brock said: “To fight him. I had no intention to use the knife at that point.
“Whilst I was doing that, I did say ‘Do you want some?’ Ryan then stood up, faced towards me and said ‘Let’s have it.’
“I panicked. I thought I had given him some of my best shots, and it had no effect. I still wanted to hurt Ryan. I pulled the knife out and held it down by my side.
“I stepped towards Ryan and I stabbed him twice in the stomach with the knife.
“I don’t know why I stabbed him twice. I didn’t stab him any further because I suddenly realised what I was doing. I wanted to hurt him, I did not intend to kill him.
“I took a step back, and there was people walking from behind Ryan, and I shouted something like keep back or get back. I took a step back towards the car park and jumped over a little wall and headed down the Holyhead Road away from the scene.”
He agreed with Mr Ali that he then flagged down a police car, adding: “As soon as the police car pulled up, I threw the knife down towards the front and walked to the back of the car and held my hands out to be arrested.”
Mr Ali asked him why he had admitted wanting to kill Mr Casey when he spoke to the police and during his interview.
Brock responded: “I had made a decision to punish myself going forward from that incident. I was ashamed of myself.
“I wanted to punish myself. I wanted to go to prison for a long time at that moment. I believed that would get me into prison for the longest amount of time.
“Everything was going through my head at that time. I felt I’d lost everything as far as I was concerned at that point. I was in self-destruct. I was basically throwing myself under the bus as a way of punishment.”
Mr Ali asked him: “Did you intend to kill Ryan Casey?” And Brock replied: “No I did not.” The trial continues.
