A knifeman from Derby, on trial for attempted murder, has told a jury he did not intend to kill the Nottingham man he repeatedly stabbed outside a nightclub. Giving evidence, Connor Page said instead he “wanted to hurt” 25-year-old Skye Severn and that what he did “was not justified” as he apologised to his family in the public gallery.
In cross-examination, the 27-year-old accused said he “made a conscious decision” to stab the total stranger in the street after grabbing the blade of the handle from someone he said had produced it. The defendant, of Alvaston, denies attempting to murder Mr Severn, of Bilborough, but has already pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Steve Cobley, defending, asked Page: “When you stabbed Skye Severn, did you intend to kill him?” He replied: “No.”
The barrister said: “At the point that you had the knife in your hand, what were you thinking?” Page said: “I was still angry about the situation between me and Skye Severn. We were tussling or fighting or whatever you want to call it and I wanted to hurt him.”
Mr Cobley said: “We have all heard the word ‘intent’. Was your intention to hurt him?” The defendant replied: “Yes, my intention was to hurt him.”
The barrister said: “How do you feel about what you did?” Page replied: “It should not have happened. What I did was not justified. I am obviously sorry to Skye Sever and I assume that is his family (in the public gallery)? I am sorry.”
The trial, which began earlier this week but did not sit for two days due to unrelated issues at Nottingham Crown Court, heard how the stabbing took place outside the I-Club, formerly the Irish Social Club, in Wilford Street, at around 4am on June 23 last year.
Page, originally from Leicester but now of Metcalfe Close, and Mr Severn had been inside and came together in the street when the victim challenged the defendant about him pushing a woman. CCTV and phone footage showed the pair fighting and Page stabbed Mr Severn multiple times to the body and once in his head with a knife he said someone else pulled out and he grabbed, causing injury to his fingers.
The tip of a knife was left lodged in the skull of the victim and it had to be removed through surgery. And in phone footage played to the jury a large crowd all witnessed the attack with one woman heard screaming “he’s stabbing him, he’s stabbing him”.
Alex Wolfson, in cross-examination, said to Page: “Something happened that made you repeatedly stab someone you did not know.” He replied: “Yes.”
The prosecutor said: “Did you ‘lose it’ or did you make a conscious decision to start stabbing?” He replied: “I made a conscious decision to start stabbing.”
Mr Wolfson said: “At what point in that clip (the footage) do you say you did not intend to kill him?” Page replied: “I understand it looks bad, I understand I was stabbing him but I did not intend for him to die or to kill him.”
The trial continues.