A landlord who stabbed a father in self defence during a pub attack has told his grieving family: “I didn’t kill your son.”

In November, South African-born David Brown fought off two attackers after they stabbed him in the leg, abdomen and throat.

During the assault at The Cricketers Inn, Wrotham Road, Meopham, Craig Allen was fatally wounded.

The father-of-three, from Marden, accompanied Alex Batista, 29, to the pub, where Batista used to work, to kill Mr Brown.

An inquest at County Hall in Maidstone heard how Batista, who has since been jailed for attempted murder, reportedly offered Mr Allen £2,000 to “painfully kill” the pub manager as he thought he was having an affair with his wife.

CCTV caught furniture deliveryman Mr Allen, 35, and Batista outside the pub at around 8.30pm, before they made their way into an empty part of the site and up to accommodation where Batista used to live with his wife.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Paul Oliver told the hearing how the pair armed themselves with a Rambo knife, a butterfly knife with Nazi insignia on it and a spade.

The pair made their way up to Mr Brown’s flat and knocked on the door. The 50-year-old answered and saw two men he “didn’t recognise at first” as they were hooded.

Mr Allen was stood at the front before Batista squeezed around the side of him and stabbed the landlord in the leg, causing him to stumble back.

The Marden man then stabbed the manager in the abdomen and throat, before telling him: “Take me to your spiritual place.”

Mr Brown, who attended the inquest virtually, said he wasn’t sure what was meant by this and thought it may have been a reference to some tarot cards he owned.

Coroner Alan Blunsdon was told by DS Oliver how Mr Brown was sat on his bed, with Mr Allen holding a knife to his face while he was questioned by Batista about his relationship with his wife.

He said: “The first thing Alex said to me was ‘I’ve paid him [Craig] £2,000 to kill you and kill you painfully’.

“Then he said ‘my face is going to be the last thing you see before you die.

“Everything I said back to them they told me was a lie. As far as they were concerned I was lying about everything. They would stab me in my hands, arms and face and call me a liar.”

Mr Brown saw a chance to escape when Batista took the pub boss’s phone to pretend to be him and message his wife.

When Batista placed his knife down on the bed next to Mr Brown, the victim picked up the blade and stabbed Mr Allen who was standing next to him.

“I heard him shout you f*****, so thought I must have got him. I switched the knife to my left hand and swung back again before running for the door.”

As he made it there, Mr Brown said he fell down the stairs, either from the amount of blood on the floor, or was pushed.

A scuffle ensued with Mr Allen who was laying on top of him trying to get back the Rambo knife he had been stabbed with.

But Mr Brown told the court due to the amount of blood he lost he can’t remember much of the hallway events apart from Mr Allen being on top of him one minute and then not the next.

The last thing he remembers seeing is a kitchen worker at the end of the hall after he had “bellowed” for help.

The inquest heard how Mr Allen was found in a nearby bathroom and despite work from emergency services to save him, he died at the scene.

His cause of death was given as stab wound to the abdomen. He had been stabbed three times in total. How he received the third injury remains undetermined.

Mr Brown was questioned by Mr Allen’s family, including his father Lee Kerton, 62, who asked how many times he stabbed his son.

He replied: “Twice. In the bedroom. But, in my mind I didn’t kill your son.”

Coroner Alan Blunsdon made a narrative conclusion, stating Mr Allen died as a result of a fatal injury from an altercation involving a knife he and another had brought to the scene.

During the inquest, Mr Allen was described as a man with a “generous nature” who would “go out of their way to help anyone”.

He had offered for Batista to stay at his home after he was kicked out of his pub accommodation and told to sleep in his car by Mr Brown after an altercation with his wife.

Mr Allen had a history of drug abuse and mental health struggles but had been “turning a corner” later in his life after finding religion.

His parents Lee and Sam Kerton, 55, told KentOnline how they only found out about their son’s death two days later and had been “kept in the dark” during the investigation.

Sue was at church when she found out the heartbreaking news.

Speaking about the murder trial verdict and his son, Mr Kerton said: “We are happy with that. We feel Alex may have had a part in our son's life. We don't think it has been properly investigated.

"The first time we knew our son had been stabbed three times was only during the court case.

"We're pleased he got a good sentence but we think our son's death deserved a more thorough investigation."

He said they can't understand why Craig took part as he and Alex weren't that close.

"We met him and Cara two years ago in Broadstairs and we got bad vibes about him then,” he added.

"Craig seemed happy in his marriage and worked in Marden delivering furniture. He then worked at a care home in Tonbridge.

"In the past he had mental health problems. He used to do a little bit of heroin.

"Sam was always worried about him and about eight years ago she went to our local church and asked for help after Craig went to prison.

"While he was in there he met our vicar's wife who worked at Rochester prison. When he came out he became very religious and was baptised on Tankerton beach."