Man accused of carnival killing was 'scared'

Cher Maximen was stabbed in the groin and died six days later

A man accused of murdering a woman who was stabbed at the Notting Hill Carnival has told a court he was "scared" and had picked up a knife to defend himself and his brother.

Cher Maximen, 32, died after being stabbed in the groin with a zombie knife when a fight broke out between a group of men in August last year.

Ms Maximen's three-year-old daughter was sitting on the ground nearby, shielded by other adults, during the incident on Golborne Road in west London.

Shakeil Thibou, 20, from Kensington, west London, denies murder. At the Old Bailey on Tuesday, he denied that he stabbed Ms Maximen on purpose or that he intended to kill her or cause her serious bodily harm.

He also denies the attempted murder of another man and possessing an offensive weapon.

Mr Thibou said a man in a white top came running over to him and "seemed very aggressive and hyped up".

Both he and his brother had been cut with a knife on their hands and ears, he told the jury.

The court heard that when Mr Thibou had spotted that the man's friend had dropped the zombie knife, he picked it up to protect himself and his brother.

Mr Thibou said: "I wasn't sure if he had another knife on him. I was just scared at this point and I just wanted to scare him off.

"I walked towards him with the knife in my hand and kind of thrust it towards him.

"I was just intending to scare him off so he would run off.

"At no point did I want to kill him. At no point did I want to cause him any injury."

'It was a girl'

Ms Maximen had gone to Notting Hill Carnival with her daughter and a group of friends on Sunday 25 August - the day known as family day.

At about 18:00 BST, a fight broke out between a group of men in front of hundreds of people, including Ms Maximen.

Ms Maximen had fallen to the ground and as she tried to pull herself up, she grabbed on to the coat of the man accused of murdering her, the jury heard.

The court watched video footage of the fight showing Ms Maximen being shoved back on to the ground as glass was smashed in front of screaming carnival-goers. She died in hospital six days later.

Defence barrister Philip Evans KC asked Mr Thibou about the moment he realised Ms Maximen had been stabbed.

He said: "I've seen somebody drop to the floor and realised they had long hair and that made me realise it was a girl rather than a guy.

"They dropped instantly and at this point I was very scared so I've ran off.

"I feel so sad for her and her family."

The court heard Mr Thibou had run off and disposed of the knife in a drain as he left the carnival.

When asked why he decided to put his friend's black coat on, he said: "I wasn't sure if I was going to be a target so I told him to give me his coat."

He told the jury he feared the man who had attacked him could have been in a gang.

Mr Thibou's brothers, Sheldon, 25 and Shaeim, 22, are also on trial charged with assaulting an emergency worker and violent disorder, which they deny.

The trial continues.