Jury out in Upper Holloway murder trial

A drinker who was filmed stabbing a man to death outside a Christmas party claims he was so drunk he cannot remember the attack, a court heard this week.

Jeremiah Watson knifed 45-year-old Jonathan Brierley after being kicked out of the Landseer Pub in Upper Holloway in the early hours of December 22.

The prosecution insist that the 35-year-old of Kingsdown Road, Upper Holloway, wanted revenge because Mr Brierley helped staff eject him from the pub in Landseer Road.

Jurors were told that Watson, whose blood alcohol level was nearly four times the drink drive limit, then went to collect a knife before confronting the victim while being filmed on another drinker’s iPhone.

He admits stabbing Mr Brierley twice but denies murder and claims he did not have the intention to kill or cause serious bodily harm.

Watson’s barrister Ian Bourne, QC, asked the jury to deliver a verdict of manslaughter and said: “It is accepted that Mr Watson was responsible for stabbing the deceased twice as you were able to see in the film taken at the time.

“Although you are able to see what happened in that short space of time before Mr Watson came into contact with Mr Brierley you cannot see into Mr Watson’s mind.

“Before you can convict him of murder you would need to be satisfied he had the necessary intent to cause really serious bodily harm to the deceased.

“It is the defence case that Mr Watson had consumed so much alcohol during the 12 hour period before the events outside the public house that he was utterly unable to recall what had happened.

“In particular he does not remember having any intention to cause really serious bodily harm and does not think he had that intention at the time.”

Jurors started deliberating their verdict yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon.