Murder-accused 'lost his mind' before stabbing man

Ahmed Alid denies murder and attempted murder

An asylum seeker who fatally stabbed a pensioner in the street told jurors he "lost his mind" after feeling stress build up.

Ahmed Alid, 45, is charged with murdering Terence Carney, 70, in Hartlepool town centre, minutes after repeatedly knifing his sleeping housemate Javed Nouri, 31.

Mr Alid admits stabbing both men in the early hours of October 15, but denies murder and attempted murder.

Under cross-examination by Jonathan Sandiford KC, Mr Alid told Teesside Crown Court he was feeling stressed when he came across Mr Carney.

The court heard he was left bleeding from his hand following the earlier confrontation with Mr Nouri, an Iranian who had converted to Christianity, at their shared asylum seekers’ accommodation in Wharton Terrace.

Speaking via an Arabic interpreter, Mr Alid recalled the moment before he repeatedly stabbed the pensioner, saying the stress "made me lose my temper, (I) lost my mind, I didn’t know what I was doing".

Mr Alid said there were previous disagreements with Mr Nouri and he claimed he was tormented over several months.

He had lost his passport in Greece and he wanted to leave the UK and go back to Spain.

Prosecutors previously told the court that Mr Alid, who was born in Morocco and moved around Europe for years, was seeking "revenge" for the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Mr Alid denies murder, attempted murder and assaulting two female detectives after they interviewed him.

The trial continues.