A teenage knifeman, stabbed a partially-sighted car crash victim to death in a Hitchin house during a late-night row, before calmly taking his way out of a police check while on the run, a jury were told this week.
Jordan Kelly-Flattery, 19,(pic.top) of West Close, Hitchin admits stabbing 36 year-old Stondon man Graham 'Snowy' Snowden at the house in Milestone Road in the early hours of January 8, but denies murder, claiming he was acting in self-defence and used the deceased's dropped knife.
Prosecutor Mrs Ann Evans told Croydon Crown Court: "This story put forward by Mr. Kelly-Flattery is far from the truth and the reality is that he had this knife conveniently to hand so when he lost his temper his instinctive reaction was to grab for the knife he was carrying and stab Mr. Snowden, who did not have a chance to defend himself."
The court heard Mr. Snowden (pic.bottom) had very poor eyesight, walked with a cane and according to a consultant neurologist suffered from delayed reactions, which would have been exacerbated by alcohol, after a serious car crash six years ago.
On January 7 he went on an all-day drinking binge with pal Shane Howard and after leaving the Venue, Bancroft Road the friend took Mr. Snowden to a nearby house to continue partying, after exchanging texts with the defendant.
They arrived at the house, owned by Lisa Harris, just after 1am and inside were Kelly-Flattery - known as 'Faze' - and a friend of his nicknamed 'Screech'.
All five hung-out in the living room, but trouble started when Mr. Snowden tried to get up.
"The defendant pushed Mr. Snowden back down on the sofa and he took offence at this and an argument erupted between the two men," explained Mrs Evans.
Harris ordered Mr. Snowden and his friend to leave, but tragically the confrontation continued.
"Mr. Howard walked out of the house, but as he did so, he heard arguing again and turned around to see Graham with his back to the stairs and the defendant punching him to his body.
"As he rushed back in to help him blood was pouring from Mr. Snowden and Lisa Harris saw the defendant with a knife and heard him say: 'Screech. I've stabbed him'."
Kelly-Flattery fled via the living-room window and an ambulance was called, bur Mr. Snowden was pronounced dead on arrival at Lister Hospital.
The defendant sought help from a friend, whose parents run the Long Arm and Short Arm pub in Lemsford, and from there he took a mini-cab to Welwyn Garden City and was quizzed by passing police as he stood outside a Total petrol station in Stanborough.
"The police officers described the person they stopped as calm, sober and chatty," explained Mrs Evans.
Kelly-Flattery returned to the pub, borrowed clothing from his friend, Ashley Cabrita, and with his help hid his own clothes on the edge of Brocket Hall Golf Course.
The defendant confessed to Mr. Cabrita where he dumped the knife and police later recovered it - stained in Mr. Snowden's blood - from a wheelie bin in the front garden of a house in Westmill Road.
Kelly-Flattery gave himself up to police on January 10 and refused to answer questions.
"You will hear it said on behalf of the defendant that during the argument a knife fell out of Mr. Snowden's pocket," Miss Evans told the jury. "The defendant will tell you he managed to push Mr. Snowden away and only then he realised he had stabbed him."
The cause of death was a 7cm stab wound just below the base of Mr. Snowden's neck, which pierced his aorta - the largest artery in the body. A second stab wound, which went through his left arm was described by the pathologist as a possible defence injury.
The trial is expected to last two weeks………..
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