A PRESTON dad died after he was slashed in the neck with a broken bottle by a man who told staff: “I wish I had not done that. It was a stupid mistake,” a court has heard.
Jurors at the Old Bailey were told victim Phillip Sherriff, 37, a telephone executive from Scorton, had been at the bar of the Pulse nightclub in central London at an event where pop star Jessie J had been performing, when there was jostling by Ashley Charles, 26, who was trying to get free beer.
After becoming irritated, Charles grabbed a bottle from Mr Sherriff’s hand and slashed it into his neck, said Duncan Penny, prosecuting.
He told the Old Bailey: “Eyewitnesses described it as a swipe or slash.
“It happened very, very quickly indeed – perhaps one second, one second to take a life.
Mr Sherriff began to bleed profusely as vital blood vessels had been cut. He died four days later in hospital.
As people tried to help Mr Sherriff, Charles was detained by security staff.
He asked them: “Is he okay? I wish I had not done that. It was a stupid mistake.”
After being arrested by police, he said: “Yeah, I know I bottled him. He kept pushing past me through the bar area.”
Mr Sherriff had travelled to London from his Scorton home with colleagues for the promotion event in April this year, organised by mobile phone company BlackBerry, where he worked in management.
Charles had travelled to London with his brother and friends from Leicester to attend the event where Jessie J and others performed.
Charles, of Nevanthon Road, Leicester, denies murdering Mr Sherriff.
Mr Penny said the clash came about just after midnight after the performers had left.
He alleged Charles became annoyed with Mr Sherriff who was joking about.
The defendant had been trying to get to the bar and squeezed between Mr Sherriff and a woman.
“He continued to jostle Mr Sherriff after he obtained two bottles of free beer,” said Mr Penny.
Words were exchanged about the woman and Charles tried to grab Mr Sherriff’s mobile phone from his hand before snatching the bottle “in a flash”.
Charles, a creative director, sat in the dock and watched CCTV footage of the attack. Mr Sherriff’s widow wept a few feet away at the back of the court. The trial will resume today.
(Proceeding)