Bewsey dad who repeatedly stabbed Billy Moore denies murder

A Warrington dad who repeatedly stabbed an acquaintance, for allegedly making his schoolgirl daughter and cousin feel uncomfortable by shouting at them, and left him dying in a hallway has denied murder.

A murder trial jury heard today (Thursday) that the blows were inflicted by James Ireland, including a fatal blow to the throat of his victim, 31-year-old Billy Moore – just an hour after the two men had briefly chatted and hugged.

It is alleged that when he later turned up at Mr Moore’s girlfriend’s home in Yardley Avenue, Bewsey, “rather than simply seeking an explanation or some form of an apology, James Ireland launched an unprovoked and deadly attack.

“Billy Moore tried to defend himself, he pushed the defendant back against a wall and held him near to his neck.
“However, he failed to deter the defendant, who repeatedly stabbed Billy Moore to his chest, his face and most deadly of all – to his throat. When he stopped his attack, the defendant simply left Billy Moore to die,” alleged Iain Simkin, KC, prosecuting.
Ireland, aged 41, of Lodge Lane, Bewsey, Warrington, has pleaded not guilty murdering Mr Moore on the evening of December 22 last year.

Opening the prosecution case Mr Simkin claimed that after the attack Ireland told his 14-year-old daughter and his 12-year-old cousin, not to say anything about the attack. He discarded “critical evidence” – the knife and his clothing – and lay low for two days before handing himself in.
Mr Simkin told the jury that Ireland now accepts he killed Mr Moore. “However, I anticipate that he will seek to persuade you that he was acting in lawful self-defence.
“He will tell you that he never intended to kill nor did he intend Billy Moore any really serious harm. His case is that he was the victim of an attack launched by the deceased, who had him in a strangle hold.
“I anticipate that Mr Ireland will tell you that he did not take the knife which was used to kill Billy to the scene himself, but that he caught sight of a knife in the waistband of Billy Moore’s trousers, and during a fight, grabbed Billy’s knife and then perpetrated the numerous stabbings in lawful self-defence.”
He pointed out that when arrested the defendant had no significant injuries and said the prosecution submit that whatever level of violence offered by the victim Ireland’s repeated stabbings “can never have been reasonable.”

Mr Simkin took the jury through bundles of CCTV images showing the movements of the two men and witnesses leading up to the stabbing. These included the two men chatting near a bus stop in Longshaw Street and apparently hugging before they parted at 22.19 pm. They both then walked down the street in the same direction but on opposite sides of the road.
The two girls were walking on Norreys Avenue towards Saville Avenue and Mr Moore turned right onto Saville Avenue towards Bagot Avenue. There was a meeting between Mr Moore and the girls. “That was the trigger for the way the murder unfolded,” claimed Mr Simkin.

“He approached them when they were on opposite sides of the road and the 12-year-old got the impression he was either on drink or drugs. “it is accurate to note that Billy Moore was an active drug user. As he approached the girls, Billy shouted something like, “Oi, oi, what, what?” at them,” said Mr Simkin.
Ireland’s daughter decided to ring her dad, not realising he was very nearby, and he caught up with them and from their description he realised they were talking about Mr Moore and he started walking towards the home of Mr Moore’s girlfriend with the girls following him.
When the group got to the house Ireland knocked on the front door. “As he did so, he said nothing to either of the girls. When Mr Moore opened the door, James Ireland asked the girls if this was the right man which they confirmed. Next, say the prosecution, the defendant launched his unprovoked and deadly attack.”

Ireland began repeatedly stabbing him and the victim “ responded by pushing the defendant up against a wall with his hands around the defendant’s neck.”
Ireland’s daughter was shouting at Mr Moore to get off her dad but he did not do so. “The reason he held on, say the prosecution, was that he was under a severe attack, and he was trying to stop the defendant.
“Once Billy Moore was fatally injured and thereby incapable of defending himself any further, James Ireland left him to die,” claimed Mr Simkin.

Ireland went to his partner’s home by which time he had disposed of the knife and his jacket. En route CCTV showed him hiding something from view his the prosecution say was the murder weapon.
Meanwhile the victim’s girlfriend rang for help and at one stage the victim confirmed to the call handler that he had been stabbed in the throat.
Mr Simkin said that a post mortem examination revealed the victim, who had been wearing four layers of clothing on his upper body, three of them with sleeves, died from multiple stab wounds.
The 12 injuries included two to the right side of his face and one, eight centimetre deep, to the right lower neck which had almost cut his carotid artery in two. He also had one to his chest also eight centimetres deep, and the remainder were to his hands and arms.

After “concocting a story” he was arrested on Christmas Eve after his dad told the police he was at his home. He was interviewed though he does not stand by the account he gave now, said Mr Simkin.
Ireland told police how he came across his daughter who was screaming and she told him “some big tall man with a back pack on and a hoodie up just tried taking us, then I said where did he go, they showed me where he went.” .

They went to the house and after he opened the door “he tried throw a dig at me, and we ended up fighting in the hallway…then I ended up getting away from him cos he’s a lot bigger than me, getting away from him and he was saying wait till I see you next … tomorrow, and that, that. After, when, when I left, he was shouting stuff to me,” he claimed.
He denied causing the injuries and did not mention a knife or leaving the victim’s home with his blood on his face and clothing.

In a defence statement in May this year he claimed he had stabbed Mr Moore with Mr Moore’s own knife in self-defence.
Mr Simkin told the jury, “The prosecution contend that the defendant has made up this new account in the face of overwhelming evidence.
“As you know, the defendant now accepts that he repeatedly stabbed Billy Moore, he stabbed him again and again and again and again, so many times in fact that, that you can have no doubt that James Ireland intended, at the very least really serious harm, so many times in fact that you can be sure that he murdered Billy Moore for nothing.”

The case continues