Allan Isichei death: 'Words exchanged' before ex-Wasps rugby player killed

Allan Isichei was found in St Mary's Avenue South in Southall

A man spat on the ground and exchanged words with a former Wasps rugby player before fatally stabbing him, a court has heard.

Allan Isichei, 69, died yards away from his home in Southall, west London, having been at his local pub.

Gurjeet Lall, who has schizophrenia, is said to have stabbed Mr Isichei several times on 24 August last year.

The 36-year-old, who is on trial at Inner London Crown Court, denies murder.

On the evening Mr Isichei died he had drunk a single beer in the garden of the Plough Inn and became "involved in conversation" with Mr Lall on his way home, prosecutor Anthony Orchard QC said.

As Mr Isichei began to walk off, "words appear to have been exchanged" and CCTV footage played to the jury appeared to show Mr Lall "spit towards the pavement", the court was told.

Allan Isichei played for Wasps in the 1970s and 80s and was a vice-president of the club

Mr Orchard said "further words" were exchanged between the pair, before "Gurjeet Lall produced a knife and used it to stab Allan Isichei several times".

Mr Isichei "almost certainly didn't at that point realise how badly injured he was", Mr Orchard told the jury, as he tried to "stagger" and "crawl" up the road towards his home just 30 metres away.

Appearing to realise he was not going to make it, Mr Isichei managed to ring a nearby house's doorbell before collapsing.

Police recovered an 11cm-long serrated knife from the scene and followed a "blood trail" to Gurjeet Lall's home, the court heard

Neighbours gave first aid before paramedics arrived and Mr Isichei was placed in an ambulance.

The court heard that his condition deteriorated and the ambulance stopped after travelling only about 100 metres and he was pronounced dead.

The trial continues.