An alleged murderer “knew what he was doing” when he fatally stabbed a dad-of-two, a court heard today.
A prosecutor told jurors claims Adam Fletcher was acting in self defence as he stabbed Paul Stenson were false as he delivered his closing speech in a trial which is now running into a fifth week.
Fletcher allegedly murdered Mr Stenson on Princess Drive on December 19 - only hours after the two met at a party there. After an argument between the two turned into a scuffle and they were asked to go outside, Fletcher is said to have grabbed a kitchen knife from inside the home before hiding it behind his back, pulling Mr Stenson towards him and plunging it into his side.
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Prosecutors say that knife wound inflicted “catastrophic” damage, going straight through Mr Stenson’s heart and causing him to bleed to death quickly. They also say Fletcher, 28, tried to dodge justice for days after the killing with the help of his then girlfriend, Susie Lee, ex Demi Walsh and best friend Nathan Finnegan.
Fletcher admits stabbing Paul Stenson but says he acted in self defence and feared his own life was in danger in the moments before he stabbed the dad-of-two. He stands accused of murder and of possessing a bladed article. Lee, Walsh and Finnegan are all accused of assisting an offender, while Lee also faces an additional charge of witness intimidation. The four deny all the charges and are currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Richard Pratt QC, prosecuting, delivered his closing speech to the court this afternoon. He said the atmosphere at the party Fletcher and Mr Stenson were attending was good until a disagreement between the pair over whether Fletcher had been trying to flirt with Mr Stenson’s partner, Samantha Rosser.
Mr Pratt reminded jurors of evidence provided by Liam Fletcher, Mr Stenson’s best friend, who said that Mr Stenson punched Adam Fletcher first before the pair scuffled in the kitchen. He said they were then pulled apart before going outside, with Mr Pratt saying there was little indication a knife may be used.
Mr Pratt said: “What Liam Fletcher and perhaps others expected to find outside was no more nor less than a fist fight between two individuals but no doubt in the heat of the moment and, we suggest, enraged by Paul Stenson’s attack on him in the kitchen, Adam Fletcher took things to a wholly different and unexpected level.”
Adam Fletcher has maintained throughout the trial that he heard someone, who has not been identified, say he was going to “get poked up”. He said it was this fear that made him grab the kitchen knife and take it outside. Mr Pratt said he accepted Fletcher acted quickly but prosecutors rejected any notion he was really threatened or that he was “anything other than a man with a purpose” in the moments before the stabbing.
Mr Pratt said: “He selected that large kitchen knife with a purpose. He made his way to the front yard with a purpose and he delivered that fatal blow with a purpose. He knew what he was doing.” Fletcher stabbed Mr Stenson through the heart, causing him to bleed to death quickly.
He then fled and laid low for days before his arrest on December 23. It is during these days that prosecutors allege Walsh, Lee and Finnegan each took a range of steps to help him evade detection. Giving evidence earlier in the trial, Fletcher said he was in hiding because he had seen threats towards him circulated and he wanted to remain safe before going to the police to give his version of events.
Mr Pratt rejected that explanation. He said: “We invite you to consider that there was only one motivation which made Adam Fletcher lay low for so long and it was simply a desire to evade and avoid arrest and in that endeavour he was assisted by his co-defendants.”
Concluding the prosecution’s case, Mr Pratt addressed what he said were discrepancies between Fletcher’s accounts to police and his evidence at trial. He said: “His account differs because he is lying and he is lying because the truth does not serve him at all. The truth shows him to be guilty.”
Closing speeches from the defence will begin on Tuesday.
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