Father 'stabbed to death at end of night out' in London

A young father was stabbed to death as he waited for his partner at the end of a night out, the Old Bailey heard today.

Paul Martin, 25, was knifed five times in the neck, back and chest and collapsed from a heart attack after a stranger confronted him, said Zoe Johnson, prosecuting.

Accused, Michael Bowden, 28, ran off down an alleyway near historic St Alfege Church in Greenwich Church Street, south London, it was alleged.

He was arrested at the home of his girlfriend after a call he made from a telephone box just before the attack was traced to her mobile.

Bowden, of Bermondsey, south London, denies murdering father-of-two Mr Martin, of Blackheath, south London, in March, last year.

Miss Johnson said Bowden told police he had taken medication for bipolar disorder earlier in the evening and events were hazy.

She said Mr Martin had spent the evening drinking and dancing with his partner Jessica Ryan and another couple.

Shortly after 2am they were waiting for a friend to give them a lift home when Mr Martin had the "misfortune" to come across Bowden near a phone box.

She said: "The defendant confronted Paul Martin in an unprovoked and senseless attack.

"The defendant was angry when he confronted a man he had never met before and released his rage on his unwitting victim."