Attempted murder jury told stabbing was "targeted" act of revenge

Tuesday 19 July 2022

A 57-year-old man is on trial in the Royal Court, accused of a “calculated and brutal” attempted murder by stabbing a man in a pub.

Paul Anthony Hadikin denies one count of attempted murder and one alternative count of grave and criminal assault at Temple Bar in Stopford Road last year.

Opening the case for the prosecution before a jury yesterday, Crown Advocate Matthew Maletriot said that the stabbing was a “deliberate and targeted act of revenge”. 

He said that Mr Hadikin acted with “pace and the element of surprise” when he stabbed a 33-year-old man in the abdomen on the evening of Friday 3 December 2021.

The jury were told that the pair were drinking and playing pool in the Temple Bar with mutual friends, although the victim and his attacker had never actually met before.

Pictured: The trial is expected to last for the rest of this week.

When Mr Hadkin realised who the pubgoer was, he was said to have “got up in his face”, making negative comments about his father and saying that there was previous “bad blood” between them. 

There was reportedly then a brief physical altercation in which the man headbutted Mr Hadikin, which resulted in Mr Hadikin falling on the floor.

The Crown Advocate said that Mr Hadikin was “embarrassed” and left the pub. He went to his nearby flat and returned 13 minutes later with a knife. 

He then allegedly re-entered the Temple Bar, stabbed the man once in the abdomen, and left again seconds later. 

Described as "life-threatening", the stab wound was more than six inches deep.

The jury heard that text messages sent from Mr Hadikin’s phone after he left the pub confess to his daughter that he has “just killed someone”. When she asked who, he was said to have replied with the man's name.

Further text messages to her read, “Help. Me,” and, “He is dead”, according to Advocate Maletroit. Mr Hadikin was also reported to have texted his son saying: "I've just killed some [one]".

The Crown Advocate said that “death was very nearly the outcome” for the victim. He said that the texts sent from Mr Hadikin's phone showed that “the defendant himself even thought he had killed [the man]”.

Concluding his opening speech, Crown Advocate Maletroit warned the jury that there was not much eyewitness evidence of the stabbing itself, as it happened so quickly and suddenly. However, he emphasised that there is no dispute as to whether the man suffered stab wounds. He said that the key issue for the jury to consider was Mr Hadikin's state of mind and motivation for the attack.

The victim was called as the first witness for the prosecution.

He told the court how he was in an induced coma for over three weeks and in hospital for seven weeks after he was stabbed. He currently has to use a stoma bag and will require ongoing operations for the next two years as a result of the attack.

Pictured: The stabbing took place in the Temple Bar on Stopford Road, St. Helier.

Describing the night of Friday 3 December 2021, he said that his Mr Hadikin was “agitated” and “wanted to start an argument” once he learnt that the man's father was someone that he had argued with in the past. He said that his attacker was "shouting in my face" and was so close that he could "feel his breath on my face".

He explained how he "felt threatened" and pushed Mr Hadikin away, although he was unable to recall if he used his hands or his head to do so.

During cross-examination, the defence lawyer, Advocate David Steenson, emphasised that the witness had "headbutted Mr Adikin so hard that he split his lip and broke his tooth”. However, despite several prompts from the defence lawyer, the man struggled to recall the specific details of the night.

After this altercation, Mr Hadikin left the pub while his alleged victim stayed at the Temple Bar. When Mr Hadikin returned a short while later, the man said that he was playing music on the jukebox with his back to the door and therefore didn't see his attacker re-enter.

He said he turned around to see Mr Hadikin walking directly towards him. He then described pain in his stomach, and seeing blood on himself. He stayed standing for a couple of seconds before losing consciousness and collapsing on the floor by the bar.

The jury then also heard witness accounts from other members of the group of people that Mr Hadkin and his alleged victim were at the pub with.

The trial, which is being conducted under the direction of Royal Court Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith, is expected to last until the end of the week.

It continues this morning.