SIMON BIRCH MURDER TRIAL: Accused Adam Jenkins tells jury he was trying to protect his sister at Christmas gathering

Prosecutors allege that Adam Jenkins who runs a successful construction company, murdered Simon Birch, 39, when he cut his neck with a kitchen knife on December 25. Jenkins had been hosting a Christmas Day lunch with his partner Natalie Shaw, at their "large" home in Newbottle, Sunderland. The guests included a number of family members including Jenkins' mum, step-dad, father, brother and his sister Emma Jenkins, with her partner Mr Birch, 39.

Jenkins, 35, of Sunderland Road, Newbottle, denies murder and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court. Taking the stand on Wednesday, Jenkins told jurors that Mr Birch had a history of drink and drug addiction which triggered past violence in his relationship.

When asked about the events of the evening, the court heard that spirits were high among the family. However, Jenkins said the festivities turned sour when he was woken to find Mr Birch "shouting and screaming" at Ms Jenkins.

He said: "I saw Simon drag her by her hair. Simon was on top of her, he grabbed her and started upper cutting her in the face. She was screaming saying, 'He is going to kill me.' I thought I had to try stop it.

"I went to grab onto his left bicep and tried to stop him hitting her with his left hand but he was too strong, and he continued hitting her. I started to panic. I knew I couldn't help so I went to shout for help to stop it. I then went back in the room and he was still hitting her. I remember saying, 'You are going to kill her'.

"He hit her and she just fell down. She wasn't saying anything. I said, 'You've ******* killed her'."

Jurors heard that Jenkins was then pushed into the kitchen by his partner to prevent any further trouble. The court heard that the door was faulty and could not be opened from the inside. The jury was told the only way to exit the room was by using a knife or a sharp blade.

Defence barrister Jeremy Dein KC asked: "Why did you want to get back behind the door?" Jenkins replied: "I knew what he (Mr Birch) was doing to my sister and to get back in to help my family.

"It was horrible. I was booting the door. I can remember being in the kitchen and turning and seeing a drawer open. The next thing I remember was being in the car park. Simon was approaching me with his hands out. He punched me in the chest."

"(Then) I remember Natalie screaming to ring an ambulance. I can remember ringing the ambulance, but I have no recollection of what was said on the phone. I was obviously panicking. I still didn't know what had happened."

A post-mortem revealed Mr Birch died from a "single slash wound" to the left side of his neck.

Mr Dein asked: "Did you intend to kill Mr Birch?" Jenkins replied: "100% not."

Mr Dein then asked: "Did you intend to seriously injure him?" Jenkins said: "No I didn't."

The trial continues.