Attempted murder accused 'thought his baby mother was in danger' when he stabbed man
A 25-year-old accused of attempting to murder a man he overheard arguing with his "baby mother" told a jury he thought the woman was in danger.
Solomon Gordon suffered life-threatening injuries when he was stabbed up to four times by Nathaniel Nugent during an incident at a house, in Suffolk Road, in Wednesbury, on July 24 last year.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that the defendant had a difficult on-off relationship with the mother of his son. Nugent said they met up at a pub earlier that day despite him being subject to a restraining order meant to prevent him from contacting her.
Giving evidence, the defendant told the jury they left the pub in the same taxi, and they had a disagreement and the woman "kicked off". He said the taxi stopped away from her new address as she did not want him to know where she lived. He said he helped her and the child out of the taxi and intended to get back in to continue his journey, but it drove off leaving him in the street.
Nugent told the jury he did not see where the woman went after that and denied following her.
"I wasn't following her. I wanted to find her because she walked off in the night. I was concerned as she was kind of drunk. She had got my son. I wanted to make sure she was okay," Nugent said.
"I walked to the end of the road. I was lost so I walked back up the road. As I did that I heard people arguing and I recognised her voice. That's when I walked towards that house.
He told the jury: "I could hear scuffling. It sounded like someone being slapped. I could see a hand moving back and hitting someone on the floor. I was thinking about my son. I had to do something."
Mr Ian Windridge, defending barrister asked: "What did you think you had to do?"
Nugent replied: "I got my flick knife out. I'd got it because somebody tried to rob me. It was for my own protection. When I come through the window, he was on top of her. He looked up at me.
"I come round the back of the sofa. He kinda stepped towards me. There was nowhere for me to go. I thought he was making a swing towards me. I panicked. He was masked up in the house. I stabbed him a couple of times."
He said he was unaware she was seeing another man and denied he intended to harm Mr Gordon. He was arrested at a music studio in Walsall the following day.
Nugent, of Clive Road, in Redditch, denies attempted murder and the trial continues.
