Woman thought victim ‘pretending’ to be hurt

outside her flat she heard Mr Moorhouse say: “Come on Chris you’re not going to use that.”

She described how Mr Moorhouse appeared to be “swinging” from a ledge and kicking out as if he was trying to stop someone coming at him.

The court has been told that in fact it was 26-year-old Dwyer, of Alma Street, Buxton, who inflicted the fatal stab wound to the chest and Miss Longshaw confirmed that she had not seen the actual stabbing that afternoon in January.

She described how Mr Moorhouse walked backwards up the stairs making “funny breathing noises” before he collapsed on a small landing area.

“I thought he was actually joking,” said Miss Longshaw. “I’d never heard anything like it.

“At the time I just thought he must have been trying to get them off him and making those noises up. Pretending to collapse so they would stop hitting him.”

During questioning by Churchill’s barrister Abdul Iqbal QC she conceded that she did not believe Mr Moorhouse was seriously injured, but she then saw his client kick or stamp on her friend’s head twice.

Mr Iqbal suggested that the blows were punches rather than kicks, but Miss Longshaw said she was 100 per cent sure they were “boots or stamps”.

She said she was in a state of absolute shock and screamed for help before getting her coat from the flat and running out.

Prosecutor Dafydd Enoch QC asked her if she had got the impression that Mr Moorhouse lost his temper during the incident, but Miss Longshaw replied: “I think he was angry at what Chris had done and stuff. I think any normal friend would be like that.”

Dwyer and 34-year-old Churchill, who was still living at the flat in Athol Close at the time of the incident, have both denied the murder charge.

The jury heard at the start of the trial that they claimed to have been acting in self defence, but Mr Enoch alleged that they had both attacked Mr Moorhouse in anger.

The trial continues.