The attempted murder trial of a Hersden father was dramatically halted this morning.

Lawyers for Marc Traylor, 42, stepped in as a firearms officer was giving evidence about how he shot the dad-of-three during a siege.

Judge Heather Norton explained to the jury at Canterbury Crown Court that Traylor – who is watching the case via CCTV from a hospital – had become distressed.

The firearms expert – only known as Officer L – had been telling the court how he had been sent to The Avenue in February 2015 believing a girl had been murdered.

The courtroom had been cleared while the firearms expert with 22 years experience, took his place in the witness box - shielded from the public gallery by curtains.

He was explaining how the armed response team had been ordered not to enter a bedroom where the father-of-three had barricaded himself inside – unless “life was threatened”.

It was then that the judge halted the case for the day after hearing how Traylor – who denies the attempted murder charge – had become too distressed.

Earlier, a statement from Officer L's colleague, Officer G, was read to the jury in which he told when they arrived Traylor’s father Peter was pleading with his son to put down two knives and release the girl.

After 90 minutes of negotiations, the officer said he felt the father was becoming frustrated with Traylor.

He said: “I got a sense of an increased frustration from Peter that Marc was not doing as he was requesting by placing the knives in a bag or allowing Kitanna to leave.

“Approximately 90 minutes into negotiations and with no obvious trigger, I suddenly saw Marc standing seven feet tall (corr) and holding a knife with his right arm by his head in the classic knife stabbing position.

“I subsequently realised he had stood on the divan.

“In one motion his eyes were fixed on me and he lunged forward towards me in a stabbing motion. I instantly felt in fear for my safety and that of Peter.

“I spontaneously levelled my taser , which I had been holding in my right hand, up towards Marc. As I fired I was aware that Peter had dropped to the floor and Marc had fallen back into the room.”

He said that Officer L then “wheeled around” and entered the bedroom and he heard screams from Kitanna.

The jury has heard how she was stabbed several times by her father, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and he was shot three times.

Officer G added: “..Marc was continuing to lash out and I then saw him suddenly jolt and drop his knife and become motionless.

“I called for a medic. I could see he had a severe injury to his chin and assumed he had been stabbing himself. I said to Officer L: ‘He has stabbed himself’

“Officer L replied: ’No, I’ve done that. I then realised that Officer L had fired a number of rounds from his Glock (pistol) as I could see a bullet wound to Marc’s midsection.”

The case resumes tomorrow.