Murder-accused says he stabbed man in self-defence

Kieran Shepherd died from his injuries in Meadgate Avenue in Great Baddow, near Chelmsford

A drug dealer accused of murdering a man who was walking his dog said he feared for his life during the altercation.

Kieran Shepherd, 30, was stabbed to death in Meadgate Avenue in Great Baddow, near Chelmsford, Essex, in October.

Joseph Dawe, 20, of Greenland Gardens in Great Baddow, Zack O'Keeffe, 20, of Stafford Green in Langdon Hills, and Harrison Carpenter, 20, of Ben Wilson Link, Chelmsford, are on trial accused of murder.

Mr O'Keeffe told Chelmsford Crown Court he "panicked" and that he "couldn't believe what I had just done".

"If I didn't defend myself, I felt like mine and my friends lives could have been at risk. I had no idea it was going to be fatal," he told jurors.

Mr O'Keeffe explained how he had dealt cocaine to the victim about "a month or two" before the incident.

About two weeks later, Mr O'Keeffe said he and co-defendant Mr Carpenter met the victim in an alleyway to supply drugs once again.

"I've given him the two wraps of cocaine, and I thought he would pull out money, but instead he pulled out a knife," said Mr O'Keeffe, who was being questioned by his barrister Michael Borelli KC.

Mr Shepherd told the pair that they would "get it" - he claimed - and Mr O'Keeffe said they left the scene because "for £70 it wasn't worth it".

The defendant said he panicked and was too scared to call for an ambulance after the incident

Mr O'Keeffe said he and his co-defendants were not looking for Mr Shepherd when they then spotted him on 15 October.

He claimed he heard the victim shout to them that his dog bites

CCTV footage appears to show three men chasing Mr Shepherd and his dog down the street at 12:24 GMT.

Mr O'Keeffe said he fell behind in the chase, and when he caught up, he saw Mr Carpenter on top of Mr Shepherd but could not see Mr Dawe.

He claimed to see a knife lying on the ground - that belonged to Mr Sherpherd.

"As I grab the knife, Mr Shepherd grabbed hold of my hood," he told jurors.

"He was reaching for [the knife]. He was going to use it on Joe, Harrison, or me, or all of us."

"The dog was also on the left of Mr Shepherd and it was being very aggressive and snarling and barking. I thought it was going to bite me."

He said he swung the knife, and "didn't think" he had made contact: "It was so quick, I didn't have time to aim."

Prosecutors say Mr Shepherd was stabbed in the back with a knife as long as 30cm (12in).

"I panicked, as soon as he let go, I looked down, I saw blood on it and it made my stomach turn, I couldn't believe what I had just done," he said.

"I had to run, I was scared.

"I put it back in its sheath and put it under my jacket and ran off with it."

He continued: "I was panicking, my mind was going a million miles per hour, this was traumatising for me."

Mr O'Keeffe said he was too "scared" to contact police, and when asked why he did not call for an ambulance, he added: "I didn't think it was going to be this serious, I had no idea it would have ended like this."

The trial continues.