A man was fatally stabbed in the chest after money was demanded from him by three people who took weapons to his home and banged on his door in the early hours, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Two men and a woman are on trial denying the murder of 49-year-old George Dore in a confrontation outside his address in Fell Lane, Keighley, on April 8.

Leslie Walker, 46, and Angela Thornton, 48, both of Nightingale Street, Keighley; and Anthony Atha, 53, of West Bank Close in the town, all plead not guilty.

Prosecutor Simon Kealey QC told the jury that the three defendants went to Mr Dore’s address unannounced with the intention of getting money from him. He alleged they were armed with a kitchen knife and some kind of improvised bar.

They took a taxi to the house and woke Mr Dore by shouting and kicking his front door. When he came out into the street to confront them he was fatally stabbed in the chest.

“The prosecution case is that the defendants were acting together throughout and shared the same intention, namely to cause Mr Dore at the very least really serious harm. Although there is no direct evidence as to which of the three inflicted the fatal stab wound, it is likely that Leslie Walker will admit that he delivered the fatal stab wound albeit he claims in self-defence,” Mr Kealey said.

The three then left the scene on foot, returning to search for the knife, the court heard.

They were arrested soon afterwards and the knife was recovered from a beck behind Morrisons supermarket. The jury heard that the defendants took a detour that night down a narrow cobbled path next to the stream.

Mr Kealey said that both Walker and Thornton’s clothing had Mr Dore’s blood on it indicating that each had been in contact with him once he had been stabbed and was bleeding. There was none of his blood on Atha’s clothing.

A footprint left on the front door matched the footwear of Walker indicating he had kicked at it.

The knife recovered by the police from the beck bore DNA from Mr Dore suggesting it had been used to injure him, Mr Kealey said.

The jury heard that the post-mortem examination disclosed that Mr Dore died as a result of a stab wound to the chest and that the knife recovered could have caused the fatal injury.

CCTV footage had captured the departure of the defendants to Mr Dore’s address and both video and audio footage provided evidence of their intentions to seek money from him, it was alleged.

Mr Kealey said further footage from a shop near Mr Dore’s home had captured the arrival of the defendants by taxi at 3.40am, their behaviour outside his address in attempting to rouse him and the ensuing melee during which Mr Dore fell on to the pavement.

Mr Dore’s partner, who heard the shouting, thought Thornton said: “Have you got the money?”

He said: “This is Fell Lane not Lumb Lane,” and went outside.

Mr Kealey said all three defendants were around Mr Dore when he fell to the ground. While on the floor they could be seen standing over him.

The whole incident had lasted less than two minutes, the jury was told.

Mr Dore went back into his house and was lying on the sofa. His partner at first thought he was having an asthma attack. There was blood near the front door and outside on the kerb. He was in distress and asking for help to breathe.

She then rang the emergency services but attempts to save his life were unsuccessful.

The Home Office pathologist concluded that after he was stabbed, Mr Dore would have had a number of seconds, or short number of minutes, during which purposeful activity may have been possible.

Walker and Thornton made no comment in their police interviews except that Walker denied murder.

Atha told the police that Thornton said Mr Dore owed her £200 and had then rung a taxi. They all travelled to his house but he said he had wanted to go on to Braithwaite.

There was then a commotion at the door while he was standing a bit away. He said he didn’t see anything and didn’t know Mr Dore had been stabbed.

Later on Walker had pulled out a knife and handed it to him and he said he had then slung it.

Atha said they had all three taken drugs the preceding evening. He said he had taken crack cocaine and was “a bit blitzed.”

Officers searched the area where he said he had thrown the knife and found a grey and turquoise handled knife in the stream. It measured 11.5cm long and 1.8cm at its maxi-mum width.

The trial continues.