Sidney Palmer death: Man fatally stabbed outside hostel, murder jury told

Officers were called to Conduit Street after Sidney Palmer was stabbed

A man was stabbed in the heart as he tried to stop violence outside a hostel for the homeless, a court has heard.

Sidney Palmer suffered a knife wound to the chest outside the Dawn Centre hostel in Leicester on 30 September last year.

Leicester Crown Court heard the 59-year-old was attacked by Victor-Eduard Raja when he intervened in an assault.

Mr Raja, 25, of Columbine Road, Leicester, has denied a charge of murder.

Matthew Brook, prosecuting, told the court Mr Raja was sent to the hostel, in Conduit Street, to "send a message through violence" in a dispute over Mamba, a type of synthetic cannabis.

The jury was shown CCTV, which the prosecution said showed Mr Raja cycling up Conduit Street at about 19:15 GMT.

Mr Brook said Mr Raja started punching a man standing by the hostel entrance, and Mr Palmer stepped in to pull him away.

"Mr Raja's response was not to stop his attack," Mr Brook said.

"His response was to pull out a large knife. He swung that knife twice at Sid Palmer."

'Peacemaker'

The court heard the second blow punctured Mr Palmer's heart, and he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Mr Brook said Mr Raja dumped his bike in a river before travelling to Yorkshire "no doubt so he could escape justice", but he was arrested on 5 October.

Co-accused brothers Michael Boleyn, 32, of Fieldfare Walk, Syston, and Leon Newton, 35, of no fixed address, have denied Mr Palmer's manslaughter.

"They sent Raja up to the Dawn Centre and encouraged him to assault someone," Mr Brook said.

"The Crown says in any assault, someone may step in either as a peacemaker or to protect the person being assaulted - as Sid Palmer did."

Nathan Pritchard, a co-accused associate of the defendants, pleaded guilty to Mr Palmer's manslaughter on Wednesday.

Judge Timothy Spencer quashed an alternative count of murder faced by the 30-year-old, of no fixed address, and he will be sentenced when the case concludes.

The trial continues.