Man stabbed at Asda in Redditch told wife he loved her before heading out to get snacks

A court has heard how a man who was fatally stabbed at Asda in Redditch told his wife he loved her before he headed out to buy snacks for the evening.

Five teenage boys, aged 13 to 16, stand trial at Birmingham Crown Court denying murder, manslaughter and violent disorder. 

Ian Kirwan, aged 53, was knifed in the chest after 'challenging a group of youths for messing about in the toilets' at the store in Jinnah Road, Redditch on March 8.

On Friday 11 November, the jury heard a statement from Mr Kirwan's wife who said: "Ian and I had been in a relationship together for 20 years. We have been married just over four years."

"We lived together in our house in Redditch where we have lived for 18 years. Ian was my everything, my world.

"Ian worked as an artificial intelligence engineer and was contracted to work for Jaguar Land Rover."

The 53-year-old's wife said she felt 'something wasn't right' even though she was unaware he had been fatally stabbed.

She added that on the day he died he went to B&Q to buy a light switch and to get some 'wine and snacks for the evening'.

She said: "Before leaving he said bye and told us he loved us and off he went. "By this time around 7.25pm I felt something wasn't right.

I knew it was too early for Ian to be back but I had this feeling I can't explain. This made me call Ian on his mobile phone."I think the first time I called him was around 7.30pm however everything from that night is a bit of a blur I may not be correct with the times. Ian didn't answer the call."Sometimes he didn't answer calls but he always called back or texted, so I left it for a while, I can't be certain how long somewhere between five to 15 minutes, I called again.

"He didn't answer again. I tried to call him every 15 minutes until around 9.20pm when the police arrived."They told me there had been an incident and Ian had been stabbed. They then told me Ian was dead."

Mr Kirwan's wife also explained the nature of his Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"It would not make him react to certain situations. He was not that sort of person."If he felt under threat his arms would got out and he would defend himself.

"If someone went to hit him he would use his arms or legs so he would not get hurt."

Mr Kirwan was stabbed at 7.19pm and died less than an hour before he made it to hospital, the court has previously heard.

All five youths, who cannot be named due to their age, have pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and violent disorder.

A 15-year-old has pleaded guilty to possession of a knife.A 14-year-old has denied the same offence but accepts he was the one who stabbed Mr Kirwan. He claims diminished responsibility due to mental disorders.