Fife man claims knife stab was self defence in knuckleduster attack

AFife man accused of attempted murder claimed his victim punched him in the face with a metal knuckleduster moments before he stabbed him.

The High Court in Livingston heard that victim Martin Davie had reacted badly to Campbell Gray inviting his then girlfriend’s ex-partner to join an online “lockdown house party” on Facebook.

Mr Davie drove to the accused’s home in Blair Street, Kelty, and banged loudly on the door until Gray answered.

Giving evidence in his own defence, Gray told the jury that the first words his visitor said were: “Why did you do that?”

He said: “I grabbed hold of him to stop him coming in.

“He punched me to the face and knocked me back on to the stairs. When he got his hand free I saw a black knuckleduster. It was hexagon shaped with metal rings over four fingers.

“He then followed through and punched me on the face on the left side, knocking me back on to the stairs on my back.

“Martin continued to attack me by trying to punch me to the head and the body. I managed to wedge my feet between me and Martin and I managed to kick him back to the door.

“I then turned around and tried to make my way up the stairs. I made it up a couple of stairs when he grabbed me by the right leg around the ankle.”

He claimed he panicked when Mr Davie started to pull him back downstairs.

He said: “I was in fear of my life. I’ve reached out and grabbed the knife which was lying on the right side of the stairs.

“I’ve put my left hand over my face and tried to protect myself while holding out the other arm.

“It didn’t feel like I did, but I stabbed him twice to the side and once to the back.

“I managed to get my feet in between us and kick Martin in the chest and knocked him back down the stairs to the bottom. I then retreated into the living room.”

Gray claimed Mr Reid was trying to get into the living room by barging against the door.

He said: “I told him to go away. I said if he didn’t go away I was going to phone the police.”

He said Mr Davie left the building after being told that the police had been called.

Gray added: “I didn’t realise the injuries that had occurred to him. I didn’t want any retaliation because I’ve got a child.”

He said he picked the knife up and later handed it to his brother-in-law, who threw it into a drain.

Under cross-examination by advocate depute Mark Mohammed, Gray refuted the suggestion that using the knife amounted to a gross over-reaction and claimed he had been in fear for his life.

Mr Mohammed said: “You stabbed him in the chest, put his life in danger.”

Gray replied: “I didn’t know that at the time. I was just protecting myself.

“Obviously I tried to do it to protect myself. I was scared. I was trying to get away because I got him off me, so that was my chance to flee.”

Gray, 31, is charged with attempting to murder Mr Davie on March 27 2020, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by dumping the knife he used in a street drain.

Gray denies the charges and has lodged a special defence claiming he was acting in self defence.

PC Christina Truby, 26, who was called out to the stabbing, said she saw Mr Davie kneeling on all fours in the bathroom of his then partner’s house in Muirton Terrace, Kelty.

She said: “He was struggling to breathe and there was a substantial amount of blood on the bathroom floor and all over his torso.”

The trial, before Lord Summers, continues.