Jessie J event stabbing: Man 'slashed' with bottle

Jessie J had performed at the promotion event

A man died after being slashed in the neck with a broken beer bottle at an event where singer Jessie J had been performing, the Old Bailey heard.

Phillip Sherriff, 37, was at the bar at Pulse nightclub in south London when there was jostling by Ashley Charles, 26, who was trying to get free beer.

Mr Charles became irritated and grabbed a bottle from Mr Sherriff's hand and slashed his neck, prosecutors said.

Ashley Charles, 26, of Nevanthon Road, Leicester, denies murder.

The court heard Mr Sheriff, a telephone executive from Preston, Lancashire, died four days after the attack in April.

Promotion event

Duncan Penny, prosecuting, said: "Eyewitnesses described it as a swipe or slash.

"It happened very, very quickly indeed - perhaps one second, one second to take a life."

Mr Sheriff, a father-of-two, had travelled to London with colleagues for the promotion event organised by mobile phone company BlackBerry, for which he worked.

Jurors heard Mr Charles had travelled to London with his brother and friends from Leicester to attend the event in Southwark.

Mr Penny said the clash came just after midnight once the performers had left.

He alleged Mr Charles became annoyed with Mr Sherriff who was joking about and in trying to get to the bar squeezed between Mr Sherriff and a woman.

Words were exchanged about the woman and Mr Charles tried to grab Mr Sherriff's mobile phone from his hand before snatching the bottle "in a flash", said Mr Penny.

As people tried to help Mr Sherriff, Mr Charles was detained by security staff.

The court heard he asked them: "Is he okay? I wish I had not done that. It was a stupid mistake."

And after being arrested by police the jury was told he said: "Yeah, I know I bottled him. He kept pushing past me through the bar area."

The case continues.