Girlfriend’s shocking account of moment partner stabbed to death in the street

The partner of a Mablethorpe man who bled to death after allegedly being stabbed by a neighbour today (Wed) told a jury of his last moments.

Kirsty Owens told the jury at Lincoln Crown Court that an innocent remark 24 hours earlier led to a confrontation with her neighbour James Adam.

She said that Adam, known as “Scottish Jamie” suddenly pulled a knife on her partner Jamie Rudd.

“My Jamie went to back off. Scottish Jamie came up out of a crouched position and I just saw a flash of something shining in his hand. Then his hand came down in a striking manner. I thought it was fists.

“My Jamie shouted ‘He’s got a knife. Help Kirsty, he’s got a knife’.”

“My Jamie had him down on the floor. I put all my weight on the arm where he had the knife. I asked him [Scottish Jamie] to drop it but he wouldn’t.”

She told the jury that Jamie Rudd then walked away before collapsing.

“I knew he was bleeding from somewhere but I didn’t know where from. When I saw him next he was face down on the ground in the middle of the road. He just looked at me. He tried to stumble and get up again but then he fell.”

Peter Joyce QC, prosecuting, earlier told the jury that Mr Rudd’s death arose out an incident of “innocence and triviality” which happened the day before when Adam’s then partner, Helen Witney, was dog walking near the seafront with Wayne Pemberton and another woman.

Ms Owens, who was a passenger in a passing car, called out to Mr Pemberton, whose dog was pulling him along and said “Who’s taking who for a walk. The dog’s taking you up the street.”

Mr Joyce said Mr Pemberton laughed and replied “I know”, but the next day Adam confronted Mr Rudd over the remark, taking great offence believing his partner, Helen Witney, had been called a dog.

“It was nothing of the sort,” Mr Joyce told the jury. “For that Mr Rudd ended up dead. ”

Ms Owens said: “Wayne was getting pulled up the street by a dog. He was taking the dog for a walk. I said ‘ Who’s taking who for a walk. The dog’s taking you up the street’.

“I just thought it was funny at the time. I thought nothing more of it.”

She said the following day she went with Jamie Rudd to a car boot sale and on their return she was told that Scottish Jamie wanted a word with her.

“He said I would know what it was about. I just assumed he would want to speak to us about drugs.”

She said that James Adam told her they needed to speak with Wayne Pemberton and they went to Mr Pemberton’s home nearby.

Ms Owens added that James Adam went on to deliver a hard punch to Jamie Rudd who responded with “three or four” punches before the knife was produced.

Under cross-examination Ms Owens denied a defence suggestion that her partner was himself armed with a knife during the confrontation.

James Adam, 46, of Victoria Road, Mablethorpe, denies the murder of James Rudd on August 28 last year and a second charge of possessing an offensive weapon on the same date.

The trial continues.

Previous reports on the case:

Man bled to death in the street after being stabbed by neighbour, court hears