A MAN accused of murdering a former merchant seaman in his Southampton bedsit admitted attacking him with a screwdriver.

But Steven Blumberg, 27, claimed he had no intention of killing 54-year-old loner David Payne.

Mr Payne died after being stabbed 80 times with a fork, a bread knife, a screwdriver and a piece of glass.

The frenzied killing was allegedly carried out by Blumberg and 19-year-old Will Smith.

Blumberg told Winchester Crown Court he and Smith had gone to Mr Payne's room in Derby Road to borrow money for a taxi.

Blumberg claimed he heard Smith and Mr Payne arguing. When he asked what was going on Mr Payne allegedly turned and held a knife to his throat. Blumberg, of Nicholls Road, Southampton, said: "I panicked. Mr Payne said to me: 'I'm going to stab you if you don't get the hell out of my room.''

"Then Will started punching him in the side of the head and jaw and he fell to the ground and the knife dropped on the floor.''

Blumberg said Smith punched again and Mr Payne fell back and hit his head on the side of a table and lay semi-conscious on the floor.

He said: "I picked up the nearest thing to me which was a cross-topped screwdriver and started to attack Mr Payne with it to the upper chest. I had no intention of killing him. It was more like a prodding movement than a stabbing.''

Smith, of Derby Road, Southampton, and Blumberg deny murder on October 26 last year.

Proceeding.

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