These are the latest ECHO headlines this morning.
Man who killed burglar 'knew his family were not in danger'
A dad who stabbed a burglar to death "pretended he believed his partner and child were in danger", a court heard.
Half brothers Karl Townsend and Jamie Cunningham allegedly armed themselves with knives after being alerted by Ring doorbell to a break-in at Townsend's Halewood home. Prosecutors say they rushed to the address and confronted three intruders.
Townsend is said to have stabbed Jordan Brophy in the head and arm, before twice knifing him in the face. One stab wound went through his left optic nerve, leaving a broken blade embedded in his brain.
READ MORE: Dad stabs burglar to death after Ring doorbell alert
Liverpool Crown Court has heard Townsend and Cunningham left the scene, but then returned, when Townsend allegedly stabbed the "defenceless" 31-year-old in his jugular vein "out of revenge or punishment".
Richard Pratt, QC, prosecuting, has said Townsend does not dispute causing Mr Brophy's death. Today he alleged Townsend knew his partner Amelia Rigby and their three-year-old son were not at home, because he phoned her.
CCTV footage showed Mr Brophy, plus two other unknown intruders and a "getaway" driver, arriving in Beechwood Avenue in a black Mercedes A-Class on October 29 last year. Mr Brophy climbed over a side gate at 6.33pm.
Read the full story from our court reporter here.
Live updates as lorry fire closes M6 causing major disruption
We'll be bringing you the latest updates as lanes are closed on the M6 due to a lorry fire.
Emergency services were called to the incident at around 4.15am this morning and the stretch of motorway was closed from J17 A534 Old Mill Road ( Sandbach / Crewe) to J18 A54 Middlewich Road (Middlewich / Holmes Chapel).
Around four miles of traffic is currently building, with congestion to nearly J16 (Crewe / Stoke-On-Trent).
The fire has since been put out however a recovery operation has now begun.
Follow the latest updates here.
Dad 'feels pregnant' after stomach swells to size of beach ball
A dad-of-two said he 'feels pregnant' after his stomach swelled to the size of a 'beach ball' leaving him in need of life-saving treatment.
David Burgess, 37, is in hospital waiting to find out if he will be getting a new liver. He was diagnosed with Wilson's disease in 2005, when he was around 20. He is now 37-years-old and currently experiencing the worst bout of symptoms since his diagnosis.
Wilson's disease is a rare genetic disorder characterised by excess copper stored in various body tissues, particularly the liver, brain, and corneas of the eyes. The disease is progressive and, if left untreated, it may cause liver (hepatic) disease, central nervous system dysfunction and even death.
READ MORE: Student's life 'ripped from under her feet' when doctors discovered cause of her arm pain
David, who is a magician, became jaundiced on April 10, 2022, and was taken into Royal Liverpool Hospital. He also developed a condition called ascites, which is a fluid build up in your abdomen and lower limbs, causing his stomach to swell. While there, David had “all kinds” of tests done on him and was treated with antibiotics as the doctors thought he had an infection in the water around his liver.
However, he was unfortunately and unknowingly allergic to two different types of the treatments tried. Speaking to the ECHO, David said: “They asked was I allergic to anything and I said no and then we realised that I must have been allergic to the antibiotic. My legs went into a mad rash. They tried me on a different one and my arms went into a different rash.”
Read the full story here.
