Man was repeatedly stabbed after being chased into road and struck by car, jury told

Scott Hacking rang his girlfriend to tell her how much he loved her because he feared he would die at the scene after he was seriously injured by the vehicle and knifed in the chest and legs.

Richard Emblow, 46, of Bradford Road, Bingley, denies attempting to murder Mr Hacking in Kirkgate, Shipley, on the afternoon of Saturday, July 23 last year. The jury at Bradford Crown Court has been told that he has pleaded guilty to wounding Mr Hacking with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and possession of a lock knife in Shipley town centre.

Prosecutor Patrick Palmer said Emblow’s defence case was that he meant to stab Mr Hacking in the legs, inflicting non life-threatening injuries, but knifed him in the chest by accident.

The court heard that Mr Hacking and his friend Jason Parkinson, known as Jay, were on a grassed area next to a Baptist church “where drunks hang out” when they were joined by Emblow.

An argument developed and Emblow, who had recently shaved his head and was wearing a big leather jacket, threatened Mr Hacking with a lock knife.

All three came out on to the street and Mr Hacking panicked and ran into the path of a BMW. The car struck his legs and while he lay in the road, Emblow repeatedly lunged at him with the knife, striking him in the chest and piercing his lung, Mr Palmer alleged.

Mr Hacking was airlifted to hospital and Emblow, who left the knife in the road, was arrested “crying and wailing” at the scene. He is said to have told the police Mr Hacking was “asking for it,” and “had to die.”

Eye-witness, Daniel Wasilczyk, who runs a Polish shop on Kirkgate, said Mr Hacking was shouting at people to call the police moments before the stabbing. When he ran into the road and was knocked down, he had his legs and arms up, trying to protect himself, as Emblow lunged at him at least five times.

“Scott was shouting: “People, ring the police. Can somebody help me?” Mr Wasilczyk told the jury.

Mr Hacking had blood on his shirt and a cut in the middle of his chest about 4cms long. Mr Wasilczyk said he held kitchen towel over the wound to staunch the blood. At least 15 people had gathered at the scene and he told them to make sure no one touched the knife lying in the road while he went to his shop to call the police.

“I picked up a baseball bat to scare off the man in black leather to save Scott’s life,” Mr Wasilczyk said.

But the assailant stopped stabbing at Mr Hacking and sat on the floor near the shop “crying and wailing.”

Local resident, Joseph Campbell, said he heard aggressive shouting and swearing coming from the garden next to the Baptist church. Two men were sitting on a bench and a third was standing facing them. The man he now knew as Emblow lunged at a man in a white T-shirt with something shiny in his hand.

“He went for him several times as they were leaving the garden, sort of chasing him,” Mr Campbell said.

Emblow walked briskly after the man who seemed to be appealing to him.

“It looked like he was pleading with him. He had his hands out and he was talking to him,” Mr Campbell said of the man in the white shirt.

“He was running away. You could see that he was scared.”

After he was hit by the car, Emblow lunged at him “at least three times.” Mr Campbell saw the injured man with his leg snapped and blood on his chest.

Gemma Paxton, store manager at Boots the Chemists in Shipley, said Emblow was a frequent visitor to the shop for medication for his mental health issues. That morning, he was irate, waving his arms and shouting. He said he was going to see “those junkies across the road because they keep stealing from my girlfriend when she goes to the cash machine.”

Miss Paxton said Emblow just wanted to talk to them, but he threatened to kill them if they refused to speak to him.

Miss Paxton agreed with defence lawyer, Andrew Walker, that Emblow was usually calm, polite and no trouble to anyone. Mr Palmer said the jury must decide if Emblow intended to murder Mr Hacking.