A man who stabbed his neighbour in the street before going back to bed had a book of people who annoyed him with the ways he wanted them to die, a court heard.
Nigel Warne, 46, stabbed Daniel Murray in the chest with a knife after a verbal row in Camelford, Cornwall, on May 25 last year, Truro Crown Court heard.
Opening the case, Prosecutor Jason Beal said: "Nigel Warne and Daniel Murray were neighbours and they did not always get on.
"On the evening of Saturday May 25, a disagreement boiled over into violence. That violence involved Nigel Warne stabbing Daniel Murray in the chest with a knife.2
Mr Beal described how a knife wound pierced Mr Murray’s skin and caused a wound to an artery that resulted in the collapse of his right lung, Cornwall Live reports.
He added: “Mr Murray received prompt medical treatment and had he not done blood loss would have caused him to bleed to death.”
Mr Beal outlined how Warne lived in a ground floor flat and Mr Murray on the opposite side of a small road.
He said: “The two men didn’t get on and there were a number of occasions when words were exchanged, in particular when Mr Murray was leaving his flat and would see Mr Warne leaning out of his window smoking.
“Prior to May 25 the bad feeling never resulted in anything other than words but on that Saturday evening Mr Murray had been to his local, The Liberal Club, and whilst there invited some friends back to his flat for another drink at around 9pm.
“The three men had a drink before deciding to leave and head back to The Liberal Club. As they left Mr Murray was a little behind his friends as he went to fetch his wallet or phone and had to lock the door.
“Mr Murray locked up and began his journey and saw the defendant leaning out the window smoking. The defendant said something but Mr Murray didn’t hear what so he replied something along the lines of ‘what’s the problem’ and the two men then started arguing.”
Mr Beal then described how Warne made his way outside and "punched" Mr Murray in the chest.
He said: “This wasn’t a normal punch, Mr Murray could tell the defendant had something in his hand. He was wearing a tight top and saw blood coming from his chest.
“At first he did not realise how serious the wound was. He started to feel faint and had to lay down in the street. An ambulance was then called.”
Mr Beal told that when officers entered Warne’s house he told them he’d been asleep even though officers are said to have seen him walking around that evening.
A white t-shirt of his was tested and found to have on it a small blood stain matching Mr Murray’s DNA.
At the sentencing hearing the court heard how Warne kept a journal with the names of people he believed had wronged him and accompanying the names were the ways he wished them to be killed.
In a victim impact statement Mr Murray described how his injuries were so severe that he said his goodbyes to his family and friends.
The effects on him and his partner and children were said to be “profound” and that he also lost a lot of money due to him losing work contracts.
Defending Warne, Ramsay Quaife pointed to his alcohol induced psychosis and other mental health difficulties.
Sentencing him, Judge Simon Carr said: “On that day you’d been drinking and possibly taking drugs.
“You were seen on the balcony outside your flat and you engaged in the briefest of conversations with the victim in this case. It would seem you held some sort grievance because of a previous occasion when he played the music too loud.
“You took a kitchen knife from your flat, went into the road and stabbed Mr Murray in the chest. Without saying anything you pulled the knife out and went to bed. This behaviour was truly chilling. Without the intervention of skilled surgeons he would have died.”
Warne was cleared of attempted murder by a jury but was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and he was jailed for four years.
Judge Simon Carr imposed a ten-year restraining order and said the journal was "very worrying reading".
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