‘Murder-attempt accused stabbed man in heart’

A MAN accused of attempted murder plunged a knife deep into another man’s heart after seeing a gang smashing up his car with clubs and bats, a court heard.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Anthony Lowe told police he may have stabbed Keiron Beccano “accidentally” and then fled to London, claiming he had “some things to sort out”.

Prosecutor Lucy Crowther said Mr Beccano suffered “life-threatening injuries”.

The court heard the incident occurred on Sunday, August 28, last year in a cul-de-sac in Mill Place in Ely, Cardiff.

Prosecutors said the incident began when a gang of young men ran into the street at around 1.40pm, some carrying clubs and bats.

Ms Crowther said some of them started “smashing up” Lowe’s black Ford EcoSport, parked outside his flat.

She said: “The prosecution accept that what the gang was doing was not lawful but it was not directed at a person.”

The court heard Lowe saw the damage to his car and decided to confront the gang members.

Much of the confrontation was caught on CCTV, which was shown to the jury of seven men and five women.

Prosecutors say Lowe chased the gang away before going back into his flat to arm himself with a kitchen knife.

The defendant was caught on camera disarming Mr Beccano outside his flat before stabbing him in the chest.

Ms Crowther said: “The defendant plunged a knife into Mr Beccano’s heart.”

Passer-by Benjamin Collins said in a witness statement: “I thought he was going to die.”

Mr Collins said he saw Lowe running away carrying a “large” knife.

Police found a crowd of about 40 people gathered in the street and discovered a large patch of blood on the ground.

Mr Beccano was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales.

Lowe, represented by Alisdair Williamson QC, argues he was acting in self-defence.

Prosecutors argue he could have stayed in the flat and phoned the police rather than arming himself with a knife.

Lowe, 35, from Murphy Street, London, denies attempted murder, plus alternative counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.