Andrew Darn: Trading estate stabbing followed history of 'antagonism' over parking, murder jury told

A long-running dispute between neighbouring businesses on a North Tyneside industrial estate allegedly ended in murder, a court heard.

Prosecutors claim a "long standing antagonism" between workers at the two neighbouring firms at the Tyne Tunnel Industrial Estate, in North Shields, started in 2010, with a dispute about parking.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the saga ended in tragedy when Alder Willis, 68, who worked at The Deli Sandwich Shop, fatally stabbed Andrew Darn, 35, who was employed at Easy Access Garage Doors, on March 27.

Willis, of Alanville, Camperdown, North Tyneside, denies murder and is being tried by a jury.

Prosecutor Francis Fitzgibbon KC told the court on Tuesday (20 August) that the build up to the fatal confrontation started the day before, on March 26, when a worker at the garage door company threw some food out for seagulls and hit an employee from The Deli, sparking trouble between the two men.

The stabbing happened when they arrived at the industrial estate to start work the following morning, jurors heard.

Mr Fitzgibbon told the court: "On March 27 this year at about 8am the defendant Mr Willis and a man named Andrew Darn confronted each other in the street outside their neighbouring places of work at the Tyne Tunnel Industrial Estate.

"Mr Darn threw a punch at the defendant. The defendant responded by pulling a knife that he had in his pocket and stabbing Mr Darn, once.

"The knife went up through Mr Darn's rib cage and went into the area around his heart and into his aorta.

"He managed to get into his car, where he died as a result of the stab wound.

"The defendant doesn't dispute that he is responsible for Mr Darn's death. He hardly could because the stabbing was captured on a security camera."

Jurors heard Willis is likely to maintain he was acting in self defence.

Mr Fitzgibbon told jurors the stabbing happened after "long standing antagonism between the members of staff of each of the two neighbouring premises on the industrial estate where the two men worked".

He added: "Sadly, trouble between the people in the two premises goes back a number of years, to 2010, when they had a dispute about parking outside the premises. It seems to have rumbled on over the years since then."

Mr Fitzgibbon said on 26 March, the day before the killing, Mr Darn's boss Linda Hedgcock had been at the doorway of their workplace throwing out pieces of food for seagulls.

The court heard Willis' partner Susan Clark, who also worked at the deli, walked past and a piece of the food "seems to have hit her".

Mr Fitzgibbon said Mrs Clark reacted by hitting Mrs Hedgcock, who was using a crutch, on the side of her head and added: "It was a silly incident really".

The court heard during that incident Willis made a threat to stab Mr Darn and is accused of following the garage doors worker's VW Passat in his Berlingo van when they left work that day.

Mr Fitzgibbon said when the men arrived to start work the following day the confrontation happened outside and was captured on security cameras, footage from some of which was played in court.

Mr Fitzgibbon said after the stabbing Mr Darn was able to walk back to his car and added: "The dashcam in his car picks up what happens to Mr Darn. It shows him collapsing and eventually dying in the front seat of his car."

The court heard Willis claims he had been holding the knife to use to open packages for his workplace and did not realise he had stabbed Mr Darn, who died from catastrophic internal bleeding, until later that day.

Mr Fitzgibbon told the court Willis had said to his partner on the day of the stabbing "I will see you in 15 years time" and told someone else: "It doesn't look like I'm going to Benidorm, I think I've killed someone".

The trial continues.

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