Sunderland man accused of brother's murder after row over family dog tells jurors: 'I am absolutely devastated'

Samuel Campbell, 24, died from a single knife wound to the chest during a "scuffle" with his sibling William, that followed a row about the pet, in June, jurors have heard.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the brothers, who were like "chalk and cheese" had been in the garden of their mother's home, where Samuel had been drinking Bourbon and listening to music by the fire pit with the dog Marley.

Campbell had just returned from a night out in Sunderland with a friend, jurors heard.

Their mother Carolyn Campbell had heard "raised voices" from inside the house, in Silksworth, Sunderland, and gone downstairs to tell them to be quiet so asnot to disturb the neighbours.

But the court heard the trouble continued and Campbell, now 26, picked up a knife from the kitchen and stabbed his younger brother in the garden.

Giving evidence from the witness box, Campbell was asked by his barrister Nicholas Lumley QC: "Did you intend to kill your brother?"

Campbell replied: "No, never."

He added: "I still can't work out why I went and got the knife."

Campbell said he accepted if he had not picked up the knife his brother would still be alive and told jurors: "I didn't, in no way, mean to cause him harm.

"I need rehabilitation. I deserve to be punished but I didn't intend to kill.

"I must atone for what has happened, I must.

"I am absolutely devastated."

The court heard Campbell has recently been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and described being "teased" and "bullied" by others during hisschool years.

Campbell said he and his brother were like "chalk and cheese" and added: "I was very introvert, he was very extrovert, very outgoing."

When asked how he felt about his sibling, Campbell told the court: "I loved him, I only wanted the best for him.

"At times it was difficult to communicate because we only had a few things in common.

"I only wanted us to make mum proud."

Campbell said he and Samuel had a shared interest in football and other sports and would attend matches together, which he enjoyed.

Campbell told jurors he was on a visit back to the family home and had been out with a friend on the day of the fatal confrontation.

He told the court Samuel was sitting outside the house when he got back and kept offering him a drink, which he did not want.

Campbell told jurors: "He just kept shoving it in my face, I just kept telling him I wanted to go to bed, I wanted to go to sleep.

"He called me boring and that I was no fun.

"The dog was next to me, I was stroking the dog.

"He tried to get the dog to go next to him. He started raising his voice, a bit rowdy like.

"I was telling the dog to sit and stay and patting him on the head.

"He tried to give the dog a drink, alcohol. He wanted to give the dog some, referring to the fact we weren't having any."

Campbell said Samuel "squared up" to him and was "just trying to act the big one" and had pushed him and added: "I said 'right Sammy, stop or I will get aknife'."

The court heard their mother then went downstairs and asked what was going on.

Campbell said: "I said it started because he was raising his voice to the dog.

"At one stage I go 'I'm not having this'.

"It was just the way he was talking to the dog, the way he was being, I only wanted the situation to simmer down and diffuse.

"My only intention was to go out and apologise to our Sam and I wanted him to apologise to the dog and myself also."

Campbell said when he got outside the apologies were exchanged but trouble flared again and the fatal wound was inflicted when Samuel "must have lungedand tripped" during the confrontation.

The court heard Cambell was sick when he was told his brother had died, which he said was through "panic and grief".

He told the court: "That's the worst part of all this, living with the guilt and the grief".

Campbell told jurors family and friends have kept him strong after the tragedy and added: "They know I never intended any of this."

Campbell, of Allen Court, Stokesley, North Yorkshire, denies murder.

The trial continues.