Fight outside Black Country pub led to man being stabbed in the heart, court hears

Darren Edwards is accused of attempting to murder 23-year-old Christopher Perkins outside the Earl of Dudley Arms, in Wellington Road, Dudley, in the early hours of May 11 last year, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

Opening the case, Ms Mary Loram, prosecuting, said Mr Perkins suffered a punctured lung, while his other lung was cut and had to be drained of blood.

The court heard that the sack surrounding his heart was also pierced.

No weapon was recovered and no DNA evidence connected 35-year-old Edwards to the attack, but the defendant was arrested in August and picked out of an ID parade by Mr Perkins.

Ms Loram said Mr Perkins had gone to the pub with friends Shane Logan and Grant Morgan at about 1am on May 11 last year.

The court heard that when the three men later went outside to smoke, an Asian man was aggressive to Mr Morgan but the trio went back inside the pub when things calmed down.

Ms Loram said trouble began to brew again when Mr Perkins and Mr Morgan returned outside a short while later.

She said a woman who told Edwards to 'sort your boys out' was struck by another man, leading Mr Perkins to tell him: "Would you treat your mother or sister like that?"

The court was told that shortly afterward Edwards threw a punch towards Mr Perkins and the pair began exchanging blows.

But soon after, Mr Perkins realised he had been stabbed and was put on a picnic table ahead of being driven to Russells Hall Hospital.

Edwards, of Kilburn Place, Netherton, denies attempted murder and causing wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Giving evidence yesterday, Mr Perkins said by the time he had got to the Earl of Dudley Arms he had drunk two bottles of Budweiser.

Describing the fight between him and Edwards, he said the pair had exchanged 10 to 12 blows but he then realised some kind of 'fluid' on his top.

Mr Perkins said he initially thought Edwards had thrown a drink at him, but told the jury: "I lifted the bottom half of my top up and realised I was actually bleeding.

"I couldn't feel nothing."

He added: "I was trying to control the bleeding but I didn't know where it was coming from."

Mr Perkins said he was driven to hospital where he had surgery and had since made a full recovery.

Describing his wounds, he said: "I had quite a severe gash to the elbow, a punctured lung on the left hand side, a punctured lung on the right hand side and a gash to the heart.

"I also had a gash to the leg as well."

The trial continues.