Relative of pool player recalls fatal Bilston stabbing
A relative of a man stabbed after a pub row about pool has recalled the moment his family member was fatally wounded.
Michael Keenan told Birmingham Crown Court he saw Lyndon Smith strike John Joyce in the street with a blade after an earlier dispute over the game.
Taking the stand on Tuesday, he told jurors there had been no threatening behaviour between Smith and the Irish travellers before the defendant attacked Mr Joyce.
Mr Keenan added: "There wasn't a big enough ordeal to produce a knife in front of a group of people. It was a very shocking time.
"[After the stabbing] there wasn't a lot I could do. John was bleeding very heavily. At this point, Lyndon ran.
"You can only imagine how it made me feel. It made me feel hurt, upset - a member of my family being stabbed with a kitchen knife."
Smith, of Owen Road, Bilston, denies murdering 20-year-old Mr Joyce.
The 47-year-old also denies wounding Mr Joyce's uncle James McDonagh and intending to cause grievous bodily harm to Mr Keenan.
Mr Keenan was with family and friends at Bilston's Market Tavern when Smith approached the group on August 17 last year.
Smith challenged Mr Keenan to a game of pool for a £20 wager but the pair disagreed over whose game rules they should follow.
The witness told jurors: "I asked him to forget about it. He continued on and on and on about pool.
"He wanted to play and he wanted to play by his rules. I wasn't interested."
Smith decided to play pool with another punter, with Mr Keenan and his group leaving after last orders were called.
Mr Keenan told the court he heard a car screeching as the group walked along Church Street and was forced to step out of the way to avoid being hit.
He then spotted Smith leave the car and heard his wife scream "he has a knife".
Jurors were told Mr Keenan saw Smith grasping a serrated metal knife, with a blade about eight to 10 inches long.
Mr Keenan said Mr Joyce then launched at Smith and the pair had a 'scuffle', adding: "John came behind him and tried to bear hug him to get the knife off him. That's when he fatally stabbed John."
Mr Keenan went on to tell the court he was stabbed by Smith to his right hand as he attempted to disarm the alleged murderer.
Prosecutors allege Smith became angry after the disagreement of rules of pool and drove to his home less than a mile away before returning with the knife.
The trial continues.
