THE man accused of murdering a York father-of-five told a jury that leaving the scene was “the stupidest thing I’ve ever done”, and said he did not want to live without a court judging him guilty or not guilty.
Brian Cox, 29, yesterday told Leeds Crown Court he accepted his actions had caused the death of Mark Webb, 40, when he tried to stop him entering a house in Stuart Road to confront his estranged wife, Susan Webb.
Cox, who denies murder, told the court he had been trimming a frayed carpet in the house when Mr Webb tried to come in, and stepped into the garden without realising he was still holding a craft knife.
He said when Mr Webb tried to get past him, he tried to restrain him, using techniques he had used while working as a doorman.
Cox told the court: “As soon as he turned and looked at me and took a step back, I saw the blood.
“I told him ‘calm down, let me help you, you’ve got a bad cut’. He said: ‘You’ve slashed me, haven’t you?’, and I said: ‘I didn’t mean to, mate, you’ve got a bad cut, we need to stop the bleeding’.”
Cox wept openly in the dock on several occasions as he told the court he feared there would be a “bloodbath” if Webb made it inside the house, and was worried he would never see his son again.
He told the court both Susan Webb and Kerry Munton told him in phone calls shortly after the incident he should not hand himself in, and they would tell police he had not been at the house.
He admitted visiting old friend Mark Johnson’s house to ask him to look after his bloodstained jacket, telling him: “I wish he’d come at me with a knife. It would have been easier to explain.”
Cox said Coates had not known about the incident, but had agreed to wash his jacket.
He said: “I feel responsible for killing this gentleman, for Susie (Webb) being here, for the jury being here, I feel responsible for everything I did.”
“I didn’t mean to do it, it was an accident.
Cox also told the court: “I caused fatal injuries that caused his death.
“Admittedly, I didn’t mean to do it, I didn’t want the gentleman to die, but I can’t deny the fact that I took the gentleman’s life.
“I just ran. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
Cox, whose address has been given as Bede Avenue, denies murder.
Susan Webb, 30, of Middleton Road, Acomb, and Dawn Coates, 49, of Chapel Terrace, Acomb, both deny perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues.
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