Man stood up and shouted 'run' after being stabbed in the stomach

A man who was knifed in the stomach as his friend was stabbed to death has told a court that the man who stabbed them remarked "watch when I get back" as he cycled away from the scene.

Ian Scott plunged the weapon into Liam Humphreys' heart before leaving him bleeding and fatally wounded in the stairwell of a block of flats on Hillaby Close in Toxteth after "bickering" over a £5 debt and a vacuum cleaner with his ex-girlfriend, whom he also slashed in the face. He was reportedly "angry, threatening and determined to fight" with the 28-year-old, the deceased's friend Tamas Jonas and his former partner Rebecca Scott - with whom he was "quarrelling" following their breakup - at the time of the incident.

The 38-year-old defendant 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 Mr Humphreys' murder but claims to have acted in self defence, having allegedly been subjected to an "unprovoked attack".

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Jurors heard evidence from Mr Jonas today, Monday. They were firstly played a video of an interview he gave to detectives three days after the incident while still an inpatient at Aintree Hospital.

Sitting in a hospital gown with a medical tube up his nose, the 31-year-old said that he and Mr Humphreys had met up on Park Lane after arriving on separate 82 buses, travelling in opposite directions - his friend having stayed over at his girlfriend's house in Seaforth the previous evening. They then walked to Ms Scott's address, having been in attendance "mainly to calm the situation down".

In a second video interview recorded on Thursday last week, Mr Jonas added: "I was on my way to Liam's mum’s house. I usually go there to hang out with Liam or help with cleaning or wash the dog, just helping out.

"I rang him on the bus on the way, asking him where he was. He explained he might get into trouble.

"I kept asking why. He finally explained because his friend Rebecca was abused by this man and got spat on.

"It sounded serious, in a way. I offered my help to go around."

Ms Scott was outside in a courtyard outside the apartments when they arrived at the scene, and Mr Jones reported that she and Mr Humphreys stood talking for around 10 to 15 minutes. He continued: "Liam and Becca was just talking about just general stuff, I wasn't paying much attention what they were talking about.

"All three of us noticed he [Scott] was walking down the stairs towards the communal door. Liam and Becca started heading towards the door.

"As he got to the door, he opened the door and Liam and Becca got surprised or spooked by something. Becca grabbed this man from his right side, Liam grabbed his other hand.

"I seen Liam pull out the dog chain, the dog lead. It was right around by his side.

"I didn’t see any swing at that time. I didn't see any fight or any punches at that time.

"It was just shouting, the three of them. They started somehow going up on the stairs.

"The man was obviously first, Liam and Becca was going up with him. I thought there's something very wrong with this situation.

"I heard struggling upstairs. It wasn't shouting or screaming."

Mr Jonas said he too then went up to the top floor of the block and was told by Ms Scott to take a bicycle downstairs "so they have more space" on the landing. He did so before he "heard shouting" and "rushed back upstairs" again, saying: "At this time, I've seen the knife in his hand.

"It was in the man’s right hand. He was holding it out, away from his body.

"Rebecca was way too close to that knife. I was afraid for her life.

"I thought I would be quick enough to grab his wrist and apply pressure for him to drop the knife. Before that, I shouted at this man about two times saying to drop the knife.

"He didn’t drop the knife, so I went for the wrist. I must have been just not quick enough, or too slow.

"Obviously I got stabbed on my left hand side, and I got stabbed with such force that I fell on the floor. I kind of almost passed out, but I didn't.

"I just fell on the floor. I looked up and I saw my jacket, and the stuffing from the jacket just popped out.

"When I seen that, I seriously thought there was very brutal damage done to me. I stood up and shouted for Liam and Becca to run, because I could not help any longer.

"I thought I was gonna die. I shouted, I ran down.

"I waited for them to come down. All I seen is about - it felt like about 10, 15 seconds later - the man came down and grabbed his bike.

"He still had the knife. As soon as I seen him, I ran to the closest car and stood behind it because I was still afraid for my life.

"As he was riding away, he just told me 'watch when I get back'. That was the last I seen him."

Mr Jonas added that the blow to his abdomen was "very forceful". He said he then called 999 as neighbours came to his aid.

The witness was then cross-examined by Scott's counsel Nigel Power KC. Appearing on a live video link, Mr Jonas told the court that he had met Mr Humphreys "roughly about five months ago prior" to the incident after both had been admitted to Clock View Hospital.

He said that his fellow patient "seemed fine" and was "on the right way" at this time Mr Power asked: "Do you know why he was admitted to hospital?"

Mr Jonas said: "I think it was something to do with finding what his problem was. He had a mental breakdown before it."

When questioned whether Mr Humphreys' admission had been "as a result of an arrest" he stated he "did not know", but confirmed that his own admission came after he had been arrested. Once both men had been discharged, they would thereafter see one another "quite often" and "almost on a daily basis".

Mr Power asked of the phone calls while both men were on the bus to the scene: "What did he say he was going to do?"

Mr Jonas replied: "First of all, he said he might get into trouble. I kept asking, 'why, what's happening?'.

"He explained that the defendant had abused and spat on Rebecca. We just wanted to go there and confront the person to stop what's happening."

Mr Power continued: "The idea was that you would go there and confront whoever was causing the trouble?"

Mr Jonas said: "Yeah. Correct."

Mr Power: "Did you think that would make things better or worse?"

Mr Jonas: "I was hoping it was gonna make things better. I was hoping it would stop for Rebecca, because Liam was quite concerned about the whole thing.

"He wanted to go alone at first. I wanted to go with him.

"It was just the nature about what happened with Rebecca. I wanted to make sure that nothing bad happened."

Mr Power: "That plan didn't work, did it?"

Mr Jonas: "Unfortunately not."

Mr Power: "Was there any discussion about calling the police?"

Mr Jonas: "No."

Mr Power: "What did you think was going to happen when you arrived?"

Mr Jonas: "I was hoping for just a simple talk over to stop what’s happening. "

Mr Power: "You and Liam on the one hand and this random man on the other side, having a simple talk over. Is that really what you thought was going to happen?"

Mr Jonas: "Yeah. I was hoping for it."

Mr Power: "What did you think would happen if the man didn’t like a simple talk over?"

Mr Jonas: "I didn’t think that far to be honest with you."

Tim Storrie KC told a jury of four men and eight women during the prosecution's opening last week: "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."

Scott denies Mr Humphreys' murder, attempting to murder Mr Jonas and wounding with intent against both him and Ms Scott. The trial, before Mr Justice Freedman, continues.

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