Bagillt man murder trial hears evidence of ‘sustained and brutal attack’

A 42-YEAR-OLD man was subjected to a “sustained and brutal” attack by a neighbour, a court heard.

Christian Francis Williams, 44, of Forresters Hall, High Street, Bagillt, is accused of murdering Andrew Hamilton in the deceased’s flat after an argument broke out between the two men who lived in the same apartment block.

Making his opening statement at Mold Crown Court on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Michael Jones QC, said Williams, who denies murder, phoned the emergency services at around 10.30pm on July 18 last year, calmly telling the operator he had been involved in “a melee” before saying “we have all sustained multiple wounds and I think Andrew is deceased”.

When questioned by the operator if weapons had been used, Williams replied: “No everything was just flowing about, you will see. Thank you, ta-ra.”

Mr Jones described how police officers rushed to the apartment block where they were met at the door of Mr Hamilton’s by Williams, who was “saturated in blood” and told them to expect “a disturbing scene”.

Christian Francis Williams (right) arriving at Mold Courts for the start of his murder trial. Copyright image by Andrew Price / View Finder Pictures

Once inside they found Mr Hamilton lying in the hallway with what Mr Jones described as “catastrophic stab injuries”. A bloodstained knife was next to his head.

Williams, whose only injury was a small cut to the back of his hand, was arrested and in interview told police officers Mr Hamilton had attacked him and he had acted in self-defence and with reasonable force, telling the operator: “He went like a lunatic, he went mad. He came after me and all hell broke loose.”

He later told officers: “Everything I have worked for is gone. He’s a f***ing idiot.”

Continuing his opening statement to the jury, Mr Jones said Mr Hamilton and his partner Zara Cullum had spent the afternoon prior to the attack together and had brought some alcohol before returning to the flat.

They had bumped into Williams in the car park who had told Ms Cullum that she spoiled the deceased because she had bought him a cheesecake.

Once in the flat the pair drank before Mr Hamilton said he wanted to call someone about buying some drugs whereupon the pair argued over whether Ms Cullum could drive him to go pick them up.

Andrew Hamilton

The argument continued into the car park where at around 9.50pm they again met Williams who was returning from buying a bottle of red wine which he offered to the couple and willed them to stop fighting before returning to a local shop and buying another bottle to replace the one he gave them.

Ms Cullum drove off at around 10.10pm with Mr Hamilton and Williams then going to the deceased’s top floor flat, two floors above where the defendant lived.

At this point Mr Jones warned the jury that the evidence they were about to hear was “disturbing” before going on to describe how a “prolonged attack” had begun in the bedroom of the flat before moving around the flat.

A postmortem report described how Mr Hamilton’s body had 25 separate wounds to his face and body including “a gaping” 11cm long wound to his neck and a ruptured eye ball along with another 15cm long and 5cm deep wound to the front and right side of his neck. There were also several shallow cuts into that wound.

Other knife injuries were recorded including ones to his scalp and neck as well bruising to the scalp, head and chest and internal bruising.

Mr Jones described how there was heavy blood-staining on the bed with footprints belonging to the defendant clearly visible before adding that the defendant had also used a saucepan which was found stained with the deceased’s blood and had a dent on the base and a broken handle.

As well as the saucepan, Williams had used a kitchen knife to kill Mr Hamilton with such force that it cut through the carotid artery, cracked Mr Hamilton’s larynx and even left groove marks on the front of his spinal column.

Mr Jones said: “He (Williams) told police ‘I was just rubbing with the knife. I applied pressure and I was rubbing. You could probably say it was a sawing motion’.

A broken and bloodstained neck of a bottle was also found at the scene with Mr Jones indicating that some of the wounds had been caused by “a jagged weapon”.

Finishing his opening for the prosecution, Mr Jones, added: “Whatever was said in that flat, whatever happened, nothing can excuse the ferocity and intent of this attack.

“The defendant began and continued to attack Mr Hamilton with the deliberate use of weapons. A saucepan, a bottle and with the deliberate use of a knife to cut his throat.

“When he called police he ended that call glibly with the words “ta-ra”.

“He denied responsibility for what he had done that day and, during the course of this trial, he will continue to do so.”

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