Man accused of murder outside Queen’s Head pub in Boughton-under-Blean claims he only wanted to ‘scare off’ alleged victim

A man on trial for the murder of a dad of three outside a village pub has told a jury he had only wanted to “scare off” his alleged victim with the knife used to kill him.

Giving evidence at Canterbury Crown Court, William Cosier said he had armed himself after spotting Adam Pritchard with a gun during their confrontation at The Queen's Head in Boughton-under-Blean.

The 34-year-old claimed ‘attacking’ Mr Pritchard with the large blade he had grabbed from the pub kitchen was “the last thing” he wanted to do, telling the court he had in fact tried to "diffuse the situation from start to finish".

But jurors heard however that within five minutes of Mr Pritchard's arrival on March 13 this year, he had been fatally injured from a wound that penetrated almost 23cm deep through his ribcage into his chest and abdomen.

The painter and decorator, who lived with his partner and their two children in Faversham, eventually collapsed in the street and died before he could reach hospital.

Cosier, of Well Lane, Fordwich, near Canterbury, was himself left injured from several pellets embedded in his head, neck and arm from a BB gun fired by 35-year-old Mr Pritchard.

Recalling the moment prior to the fight, Cosier said he had initially thought he was "getting through" to Mr Pritchard in telling him to leave and that they would "sort it out when both sober".

But when asked why on CCTV footage he could then be seen going towards Mr Pritchard with the knife, Cosier said he had been trying to grab the gun.

"I can remember going for the gun, I was too slow, he grabbed the gun, grabbed me and we spun round," he explained.

"He was a bit stronger than me and threw me on the floor as we spun round.

"He started shooting me – I think the first one was above my eye. From that point, I couldn't tell you."

Asked by his barrister, Jonathan Higgs KC, what was going through his mind, Cosier said adrenalin took over as he feared for his life and thought he would die.

"The next few seconds were just a blur. I was dazed, I was hurting, it just went quick," he added.

But the defendant, who denies both murder and manslaughter, told the court that he could not remember any contact between Mr Pritchard and the blade.

"It was just a blur. I know my head was down and I can't remember a lot of it," he said.

Cosier, who is known as Billy or Bill, later removed two pellets from his neck and arm himself while another four, including two in his hairline, had to be surgically removed at hospital.

At the start of the trial, now in its third week, the court was told by prosecutor Don Ramble that Mr Pritchard was killed in "an act of aggression" by Cosier.

The violence was said to be the culmination of an exchange of messages and calls that evening between Mr Pritchard and one-time friend Craig Brabon which developed from "friendly banter" into a row.

Mr Brabon had been drinking in The Queen's Head for much of the day, together with Cosier who later told police he had consumed at least six pints of San Miguel, some whisky and five or six "pinches" of cocaine.

Cosier told the jury that although he did not personally know Mr Pritchard, he believed he had "a reputation" for violence and "wasn't afraid" to use weapons.

He recalled that he had "heard on the grapevine" and through "general chat" before the fateful night that Mr Pritchard had been involved in stabbing, shooting and 'bottling' incidents.

The court heard, however, that the two men spoke directly to each other about two hours before the killing when Mr Brabon handed his phone to Cosier.

He told jurors he had simply tried to calm things down, only for Mr Pritchard not to "appreciate" his involvement and repeatedly threaten he was "going to come to the pub with his mates and bring weapons".

Asked by Mr Higgs how seriously he took the threats, he replied: "Very serious."

Cosier, himself a dad of three, said the threats from Mr Pritchard to Mr Brabon continued.

Having been sent a message by Mr Brabon saying "Queen's Head waiting", Mr Pritchard arrived at the pub with his friend Leigh Bean at 10.35pm.

He was seen on CCTV going up to Cosier at the bar, whereupon he was immediately punched by the defendant.

The pair exchanged a couple of blows before Cosier fell to the floor. Once back on his feet he picked up a bar stool as Mr Pritchard walked back out the door.

But Cosier maintained in his evidence that Mr Pritchard had been the aggressor throughout and had shown him the gun in his waistband.

The reason he had twice taken a knife from the kitchen - once before Mr Pritchard had even arrived - was out of fear and panic, he said.

Recalling the moment he ignored the landlady's desperate pleas not to arm himself with the one eventually used to fatally stab Mr Pritchard, Cosier told the court: "At this point I was saying they have got guns. I didn't know if they both had guns or one of them.

"I can remember saying 'I've got to go out there. They have got guns'."

Describing Mr Pritchard as "unpredictable", Cosier said he was concerned about people inside the pub being fired at, so thought it was "better" to try and make him leave.

Asked why he first went outside in the street holding the knife behind his back, Cosier replied he did not want to appear "aggressive and threatening".

Within seconds he was back inside the pub and said he thought Mr Pritchard had left, only to hear and see him "goading" him to go back outside.

On the third occasion that Cosier had gone into the street, and after a gap of about 50 seconds, the violence erupted between the pair.

Referring to that timelapse, Mr Higgs asked: "Why not go out with a knife and attack him?", to which Cosier said: "Because that's the last thing I wanted to happen. There was no intention."

The court heard that after Mr Pritchard had been stabbed, a heavily-bleeding Cosier went back into the pub before driving off in his Mercedes.

The vehicle was found a few hours later in nearby Colonels Lane, with his jumper and vest discarded in the road.

That same day Cosier handed himself in to police after learning officers had been to his home and that Mr Pritchard had died.

However, the knife used to stab him was never recovered.

In a prepared statement he told officers he had thought going outside the pub that night was "the only way to protect himself and others" and that, having been fired at multiple times, he stabbed Mr Pritchard "to stop him shooting me".

The court heard that the day after the alleged murder, Cosier was due to find out whether he would have custody of his children.

"How important was that to you?", asked Mr Higgs. "Very important," he replied.

During the trial, the court has heard from witnesses and watched CCTV footage of how Cosier went into the pub kitchen several times that evening and tried to take a knife.

On one occasion he even chatted to staff and landlady Claire Hammond-Miller about how to stab someone through the ribcage.

But during cross-examination by the prosecution he refuted any suggestion he had been "up for a very serious fight" that night.

"Not at all, not in the slightest. It was the opposite, trying to sort it out," he argued.

Cosier also said he could not recall telling the kitchen chef that he "wasn't afraid of stabbing someone".

Asked by Mr Ramble why he had not just locked the pub doors and stayed inside, Cosier said he feared shots would be fired through the windows and hit innocent people.

"He was threatening and goading me to come out, if not he was going to come in," he told the court.

"I didn't want to go outside but thought if I went outside to diffuse the situation. That's what I was doing from start to finish.

"No anger whatsoever. Fear, yes. Worrying about other people, innocent bystanders. Yes, I was worried. A man is outside waving a gun.

"All the fears I had were justified. He came to me with a gun, with a vest on in the winter. So as much as you say it was me, it wasn't.

"I was trying to stay in the pub but he was coming to the window, goading me to come outside."

Cosier added he was "more afraid" of others getting hurt than "going outside and being shot myself".

Accused by Mr Ramble of "thinking carefully about his actions", Cosier retorted that he was "panicking", adding: "It's the first time someone has waved a gun at me and I didn't know what to do."

He also told the court there never came a time during the violence when he realised the weapon being fired was an airgun.

"When it was hitting me, it was hurting and when it was missing me it was zooming past my head. He was shooting me to kill me."

His cross-examination by the prosecution will continue today.