Sunderland man goes on trial accused of murdering his brother Samuel Campbell

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 family dog, 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, who "disapproved" of Samuel's lack of full-time employment and his reliance on their mother to walk the dog, had just returned from a night out inSunderland 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 as not 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.

Prosecutor Toby Hedworth QC told the court Mrs Campbell had been woken up by the sound of her sons' voices and added: "She got up and went downstairs and told them to be quiet because they would disturb the neighbours.

"There was a bit of a scuffle which the mother broke up.

"Samuel said something, according to his mother and went back outside with the dog.

"The defendant sat down on the sofa and said he had just told his brother not to talk to the dog in the way he was doing.

"Then, his mother noted the defendant got a bit frustrated and said 'I'm not having this'. He said 'I'm getting a knife'.

"He went into the kitchen.

"Mrs Campbell didn't follow him in there but did go out into the garden and recalls trying to get between the sons.

"There was, as she subsequently described, a bit of a scuffle.

"Samuel then took off the hoodie he was wearing and saw blood on his chest.

"At some stage their mother recalls Samuel egging his brother on and saying 'you've stabbed me' then Samuel collapsed."

The court heard Campbell said his brother had "passed out" and told his mother it was a "flesh wound" that would "scab over".

A neighbour overheard Campbell say "It's his fault this, mam."

Campbell told a police officer at the scene "I stabbed him out of rage" and later claimed "I deserve to die".

He said in a prepared statement: "I accept I have stabbed my brother. I did not intend to kill him, neither did I intend to cause him any serious harm.

"I only wanted to defend myself against what I perceived as a serious physical threat to me from him.

"After I stabbed him he stumbled in the garden for a short period then fell to the ground.

"I attempted to resuscitate him and was giving him CPR.

"I'm utterly devastated by what has happened, I cannot believe it".

Campbell said he did not wish to answer police questions as he was having flashbacks and did not feel mentally well enough.

Mr Hedworth told jurors: "No doubt he does, by now, bitterly regret his actions but you are not concerned with regret after, what you are concerned with is thedrunken rage the prosecution say the defendant was in at the time he took that knife from the kitchen and used it."

The court heard Samuel still lived at the family home with their mother, whereas his older brother had moved out and lived in North Yorkshire for work but was visiting for a few days.

Mr Hedworth added: "William Campbell doesn't deny he caused his brother's death but suggests he only took the knife to protect himself and maintains that his brother, in fact, came for him and impaled himself on the knife."

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

The trial continues.