Jury in Liam Humphreys murder trial retire to consider verdicts after triple stabbing

Jurors in the Liam Humphreys murder trial have retired to consider their verdicts.

Ian Scott stabbed the 28-year-old to death, knifed another man in the stomach and slashed his ex-girlfriend in the face after "bickering" with her over a £5 debt and a vacuum cleaner. He plunged the weapon into Mr Humphreys' heart before leaving him bleeding and fatally wounded in the stairwell of a block of flats on Hillaby Close in Toxteth.

The 38-year-old then cycled away from the scene, still clutching the knife, before "disguising himself" in workmen's clothing and sparking a police "manhunt". Scott is currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of murdering Mr Humphreys but claims to have acted in self defence, having allegedly been subjected to an "unprovoked attack".

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He denies murdering Mr Humphries, attempting to murder Tamas Jonas and wounding with intent against both him and his former partner Rebecca Scott. The jury were sent out to begin their deliberations this afternoon, Monday.

Tim Storrie KC told a jury of four men and eight women during the prosecution's opening earlier this month: "On Sunday the 10th of December last year, the defendant, Ian Scott, armed himself with knives, left his flat and went down a series of stairs to a door so that he could confront a group of three people with violence. That group contained a woman named Rebecca Scott and her companions - a man named Liam Humphreys and another, Tamas Jonas.

"Well, what happened next? Violence overwhelmed all three of them.

"Each of them was the subject of a knife attack, and the man the prosecution say was responsible was Ian Scott. In the course of the fight, Ian Scott killed Liam Humphreys by stabbing him to his chest.

"Tamas Jonas suffered a similar wound. There were attempts to stab him but, ultimately, he received a wound that penetrated deep into his abdomen. It caused him catastrophic injury. It was the sort of wound you may think that you would inflict if you had wished someone dead.

"Rebecca Scott received a slash wound to her face with a knife. The weapon was drawn across her face, and the wound extended from her ear towards her mouth.

"We say that this defendant was angry, threatening and determined to fight these three people. We say that he intended that they should suffer, at the very least, really serious harm, and so it was that he picked up a knife and deliberately stabbed them with the consequence that one was dead and the other two seriously injured."

Jurors heard Scott and Mr Humphreys were not known to each other prior to the day in question, and that the latter had only been in the area that day as he was a friend of Ms Scott. Mr Jonas was similarly a stranger to the defendant and was said to have been present as he was meeting the deceased to "help him with his family and with his pets".

Thirty-year-old Ms Scott was no relation to the accused, but was a "near neighbour" of his on Hillaby Close and had previously been in a relationship with him. However, this "quickly soured" and the former couple had "recently bickered over items of property" in a series of messages.

Ms Scott was said to have "wanted the return of £5" and a massage chair, while Scott reportedly "demanded the return of a vacuum cleaner". Mr Storrie, who was assisted by junior counsel Frances Willmott, said: "Now, seen against the background of everything that was about to occur, you will doubtless agree that these arguments were inexpressibly trivial in nature, but it was these arguments and these exchanges that explain how events unfolded on Sunday the 10th of December.

"That day, the pair quarrelled. Rebecca Scott was the subject of abusive remarks and of threats.

"These remarks and threats occurred when the defendant came down from his address to confront her, and continued through the course of the morning of that day. You may think and you may have to judge whether it was a natural response for Rebecca Scott to want to have people around her, those whom, she thought, might deter him from this sort of behaviour."

Ms Scott's sister Jaelyn Bonner then contacted Mr Humphreys, who "said he would come down, alongside his friend Tamas Jonas, to offer a reassuring presence". They arrived at the address shortly before 12.45pm - only 10 minutes before the "violent confrontation in which Liam Humphreys lost his life", which was partially captured by CCTV cameras.

Scott was said to have "continued to shout from above", having apparently been "inflamed by the presence" of the two men as they and Ms Scott gathered near to the communal entrance to his building. Mr Storrie told the court: "There was a point when Tamas Jonas, Liam Humphreys and Rebecca Scott advanced on the communal door of the flats at Hillaby Close.

"Up in his flat, he could have done many things. He could, for example, have ignored them. But he did no such thing. We say, that is because it is clear that he wanted a violent confrontation."

Scott was allegedly told "come down here and say that" in response to remarks he had made, at which he "did not hesitate to respond that he would". Mr Storrie continued: "Did the three people on the street expect violence?

"Well it is clear, you may think, that Liam Humphreys at least thought there was a risk of violence. He decided upon a dog chain as some kind of makeshift weapon.

"You may also think, given the tone of the exchanges that had occurred, that there was to anybody an obvious real risk of violence which these people would have perceived would likely arise from the arrival of the defendant. There is an apparent lunge by Liam Humphreys as he sees the defendant at the door and as it is opened.

"In these early seconds, it would have been obvious to those who were there that the defendant was armed with a blade and it might have felt to Liam Humphreys as though the defendant might even back away. But, two-and-a-half minutes later, as you will see when people exit, the outcome has become clear.

"The violence that had occurred was unsparing. Tamas Jonas emerged from the building first.

"He was calling for help. Damage to his jacket revealed a number of attempts to stab him. He himself had been stabbed to the abdomen and was presently to collapse. But not before he called 999.

"Mr Jonas had called 999. He was followed by Rebecca Scott, who was clutching the right side of her face. She was to seek help in a nearby shop. Within the building, lying in a stairwell, Liam Humphreys had sustained the wound to his heart that was to kill him.

"In the same instant, this defendant was seen fleeing the scene on a bicycle. You will see the moment when Ian Scott left Hillaby Close, the knife in his hand. We will see him later. He had fled the scene.

"He had disposed of the knife in the hope that it would not be found. He had got rid of his bike.

"He had not called the police and complained that he had been attacked. He had, in fact, disguised himself in workman’s gear, walking down a street nearby."

Scott was caught on camera walking down nearby Loudon Grove shortly after 1.45pm holding a football and with his hood up, wearing a hi-vis jacket and a hard hat "in the hope that he would not be identified". Police and paramedics meanwhile attended the scene and found Mr Humphreys "with an obvious wound to his chest".

He was rushed to the Royal Liverpool Hospital and subsequently underwent emergency surgery, but was pronounced dead at 2.45pm. A post-mortem examination later found that the knife had "passed between his ribs and penetrated his heart".

Mr Jonas was taken to Aintree Hospital and operated upon, the weapon having "gone straight through his colon". Ms Scott too required surgery to repair her facial injury.

Forensic scientists found "at least four areas of damage" to Mr Humphreys' coat as a result of Scott's apparent "persistent attempts to harm him with a knife". A further two cuts were found to Mr Jonas' jacket, indicating "the defendant’s persistent use of a knife in the course of the struggle".

The altercation was said to have led to a "manhunt" by Merseyside Police, but Scott handed himself in at St Anne Street Police Station two days later on the evening of December 12. He presented with some injuries and gave a prepared statement to detectives under interview "setting out an account that he had been compelled to defend himself and that he had equipped himself with a knife".

Scott told the court during his evidence last week that he had been wearing latex gloves while cleaning in his flat on the day in question before spotting Mr Humphreys, Ms Scott and Mr Jonas outside the communal door to his building. He stated that he then placed a knife within the waistband of his tracksuit bottoms before heading downstairs to "mediate the situation".

Under questioning from his counsel Nigel Power KC, Scott said Mr Humphreys had attacked him with a dog chain when he opened the door. He added: "He was about to whack me with the dog chain, and I'm just backing off away.

"It was very close, but I didn't get hit downstairs with the chain. As he's about to attack me with the chain, I'm still stepping back.

"I came forward to scare him and to give me time to run. At that time, I think I'm still getting it [the knife] out from my waist.

"I wasn't willing to use a knife. It was just there to deter them away and give me time to run away from them.

"That's all it was meant for. Just a shield."

Scott said he "ran for his life" up the stairs as Ms Scott "screamed and shouted at him", "calling him a p***y" and asking "what are you running away?". He added: "I could hear them chasing me.

"I turned to look and see if they were there and they were both there coming up the stairs, Rebecca and Liam. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was panicking.

"I had my keys in my hand and my hand was shaking. I kept saying to myself 'don't drop the keys'."

Scott told the court that he managed to get back inside, but Ms Scott was "trying to burst into the flat". He said: "I was pushing the door and Rebecca was trying to force her way into the door.

"Liam came just a couple of seconds behind her. He was trying to push the door too."

Scott stated that he was able to shut the door, after which "they were shouting and booting the door", "calling him a little p***y" and "telling me to come out". He continued: "It lasted about 10 to 15 seconds.

"I grabbed another knife on top of the fridge. I forgot I still had the other one.

"I was panicking, thinking they were gonna come through the door. I was telling them to go away."

Scott said it then "went quiet", at which point he looked through the porthole in his front door and realised his bike had vanished from the landing outside. He then went out to see Mr Humphreys, Ms Scott and Mr Jonas taking his bicycle downstairs, adding: "In frustration I threw it [the knife] down, not at them.

"I just threw it down in frustration. They started running towards me."

Scott told jurors that the flat door had shut behind him at this point, and he had left his keys inside. He said he then had "nowhere to go", adding: "I was so scared.

"I've never been scared in my life as I was. That's when all three of them come up.

"I was just standing them telling them to go away - at least 10 or 15 times, I told them 'go away'. I was just shaking."

Mr Power asked: "Did the fact that you had a knife seem to have any effect on them?"

Scott replied: "Not one effect. That's what made me more scared.

"They're not going anywhere. The last thing I want to do is resort to violence.

"[Ms Scott] was standing there yelling nonsense. She said 'look at your eyes, they're going crazy like you’re gonna do something'.

"She grabs me by my throat with one hand. She’s choking me.

"I’m still looking at the two other males. I'm bracing myself, thinking one of these are gonna start hitting me.

"She was just choking me. I'll never forget how red her eyes were, it was just anger and hate in her eyes.

"She started punching me, she punched me twice. That’s when Liam came from the left and hit me over the head with the dog chain.

"My knees buckled a bit. I thrust the knife towards him.

"It was just to back him off. As I've done that, that's when he backed off a bit.

"Rebecca said 'don't you dare try and stab him'. I just wanted to back him away, I didn't want to hurt no one.

"Tamas Jonas come towards me then, I thought I'll do the same thing to back him off. As I've done it, he's just walked into the knife."

Scott reported that Mr Jonas then left and went downstairs. Mr Power asked him: "Could you have left?"

He replied: "No, because Rebecca and Liam were in the only way of me getting out. I was telling them go away, just go away.

"He’s pushed Rebecca out the way and started attacking me. He was using the dog lead wrapped round his hand.

"He just kept whacking me, at least four times. He kept on whacking me and whacking me, I was just taking the blows.

Scott indicated that he had his left arm up protecting his head before motioning with his right hand as he said: "I've just said move and just pushed the blade in front of me. I just pushed it to do what I done the first time, to get him to back off.

"He’s just walked into the knife. I just went like that to back him off. Unfortunately, I got him in the chest."

Scott recalled Mr Humphreys falling to the floor at this stage and "bumping Becca towards me". He added: "I'm still flailing my hands and it's caught her in the face.

"I was just standing there, shocked. I couldn't get back into the flat.

"My keys and phone were in the flat. I went downstairs.

"I went over him, I grabbed the bike off the middle floor. The old lady downstairs come out.

"She was just a neighbour I'd speak to now and again. When I seen her I said 'I can't believe what's just happened, they just come to my house and attacked me for nothing."

Mr Power asked: "Did you intend to cause anyone serious bodily harm?"

Scott responded: "No, not at all. That's the last thing I wanted to do.

"At first I was trying to escape, and then the second time I had nowhere to go. I was telling them over and over again just go, but they wouldn't listen."

Scott said he then went to his mum's house nearby and changed his clothing, adding: "I was just panicking. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do.

"I just needed time to think. It's one of the most traumatic things anyone can go through, I didn't mean to do anything."

Scott stated that he "just threw" the knife and then spent the day "just walking around in a daze". He subsequently stayed "at a friend's house" before handing himself into the police on the evening of December 12.

When asked when he had heard that Mr Humphreys had died, he said "the next day" [December 11]. Scott added: "I just burst out in tears.

"I couldn't believe what's happened. I think one of my friends called me and told me someone's passed away."

The trial, before Mr Justice Freedman, continues.

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