A former Carlisle man accused of murder will admit to fatally stabbing his alleged victim on a Maryport street but he will claim he acted in self-defence.

William Richardson, 34, was stabbed seven times, his wounds including one which severed a major artery.

Sean Michael Morrin, 33, denies murder, claiming he used the knife to defend himself after picking it up in the street following an argument with Mr Richardson and one of his friends.

At Carlisle Crown Court today, a jury of six men and six women were sworn in and heard the prosecution case opened.

Prosecutor Andrew Thomas QC outlined how the tragedy happened in the early hours of August 8 last year in Senhouse Street, Maryport, as Mr Richardson was having a night out with friends.

"Sean Morrin, the defendant, had argued with the deceased William Richardson and another man earlier and those two men - Mr Richardson and the other man - had chased after the defendant.

"But in fact they did not lay a finger on him."

Half an hour later, said Mr Thomas, Morrin - by this time armed with a knife -returned to where he had argued with Mr Richardson and his friend.

Mr Thomas said Morrin first lurked outside the club where Mr Richardson was drinking and then when he walked past Morrin had attacked him with the knife.

The barrister said: "He stabbed him in total seven times and two of those stab wounds were to the neck and to the face.

"Those appear to have been the first of several blows which Mr Morrin struck."

It was one of these first two knife blows that severed the victim's carotid artery, said Mr Thomas.

When Mr Richardson collapsed to the ground, Morrin, at the time living in Nelson Street in Maryport, stabbed him a further five times, said the barrister.

'Having inflicted those injuries, Sean Morrin then ran off, leaving Mr Richardson injured on the ground," said Mr Thomas.

Morrin was found by police hiding under a bush a few streets away.

The barrister continued: "Sean Morrin, we understand, will admit that he stabbed and killed Mr Richardson that night.

"That is not in dispute.

"We understand he will claim he was acting in self-defence. He will say he was upset and frightened about the incident earlier when he was chased after.

"And so he went back to speak to Mr Richardson and his friend to make sure that they were not going to come looking for him. We understand that the defendant will say that the knife he used was a knife he found in the street, which he picked up.

"He decided to take it with him for protection. We understand that he will say that when they met again Mr Richardson went for him and he will say that he used the knife in the heat of the moment in order to defend himself."

The trial is expected to last for about a week.