The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Murder accused tells of ‘fighting for his life’
Man says sword was swung towards him in confrontation
A murder accused has told jurors how he “fought for his life” during a “violent tussle” in his home with a man who had armed himself with his ornamental sword.
Adrian Hynd, 51, told a jury how he spent half an hour struggling with Alexander Forbes, 25, during a confrontation at his home in Kirkcaldy on January 2.
Prosecutors claim Mr Hynd murdered Mr Forbes after the pair met the previous evening in the Windsor Bar.
Mr Hynd denies the charge and his legal team has lodged a special defence which states their client acted in self defence, having been first attacked by Mr Forbes.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard Mr Hynd say yesterday how he spent the previous evening enjoying himself at the Windsor.
Hynd told the court that after the pub shut, he, Mr Forbes and two men returned to his house in Victoria Road.
The court heard the men spoke about plans to buy the pub. However, as the evening progressed, some of them said they did not want to pursue the plan.
Mr Hynd told the court that Mr Forbes’s mood changed at that point. He said Mr Forbes grabbed a sword which was being kept on a stand in his living room.
He said Mr Forbes started swinging the blade towards him. The pair started struggling and the confrontation lasted for approximately half an hour.
Mr Hynd told the court the tussle ended after he inflicted injuries on Mr Forbes. He told the court: “I was in a violent tussle with him. I was fighting for my life. I can’t believe I took a life.”
Mr Hynd, who works as an operation manager for a cleaning firm, told defence advocate Mark Stewart QC: “He was mad and angry, really, really angry.”
Mr Hynd said he sustained injuries during the confrontation.
He told Mr Stewart he managed to get his hands on the sword at one point during the confrontation and he used it to injure Mr Forbes.
He said: “I stabbed him on the left hand side. It was just a jab and I pulled it out. He stopped writhing and then it went quiet. Dead quiet. I didn’t make a move. I thought ‘Oh God’.
“I put my hand forward to see if he was still breathing. His eyes opened and he went for my nose with his teeth.”
Mr Hynd said the tussle continued until he inflicted more blows on Mr Forbes.
He told the court: “I held him down for about 10 to 15 minutes.”
Mr Hynd then told the court he left his house and tried to flag down motorists for help. He eventually returned to his flat, found his mobile phone and telephoned the police.
The trial continues.