GRISLY images of a machete lying on a bed next to a blood-stained carpet were shown to jury members during the trial of a man accused of slitting his friend’s throat.

Footage captured by police in the hours following the death of Ormsgill man, Guy Hamilton, gave a tragic snapshot of the much-loved community figure's last minutes before he bled to death.

The jury saw lines of police tape and plastic sheeting covering the ground outside the home of Mr Hamilton in Meetings View, Barrow. As the camera moved towards the stairs of his flat, droplets of blood dotted the pavement and front step where Mr Hamilton had struggled to find help.

Defendant Damien Lee Hill, 45, who denies murder, took to the witness box at Preston Crown Court to answer questions about what happened in Mr Hamilton's flat on the night he died.

He said: “I know we were in that room, in my statement (to the police) I said I was in the front room on the settee.”


Guy Hamilton with his dog Freud The court heard Hill and Mr Hamilton had been drinking heavily in the hours before Mr Hamilton died, attending a Barrow AFC match before returning to the Ormsgill flat.

Ms Siobhan Grey, defending, asked what Hill remembered about what happened after the pair left for the flat.

He said: “My next memory is me and Guy in his flat, in his sitting room. After that, nothing more. I have no recollection of being there.”

The lack of any memory of the night's tragic events was put down to the large amount of alcohol drunk by both men.

After a chance meeting at a bus stop, the pair attended a Barrow match, before carrying on drinking at a local pub, before going back to Mr Hamilton's flat.

Hill said he remembered drinking at least two cans of Carlsberg Special Brew, one can of Fosters, another can of lager, two pints of beer, and an unknown number of pre-mixed vodka drinks.


Police in the Meetings View area of Ormsgill after Mr Hamilton's death The defence said this was out of character for Hill who is alleged to have battled alcohol issues through his life. After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, he drastically cut down his drinking for health reasons. The court was told he lived a “hermit like” existence, only going out to watch football in order to avoid the temptation to drink.

Mr Simon Medland, prosecuting, refuted Hill's claim that alcohol had clouded his memory to such an extent, saying instead the defendant was only remembering information when it suited him.

He said: “Is this a convenient excuse for you to hide behind? Things that you have trouble dealing with. How can you possibly deny that you wanted to cause Mr Hamilton harm?”

Hill responded by saying he was highly intoxicated, to such an extent he did not recall his daughter telling him that she was pregnant.

He said: “That night, my daughter told me that she was pregnant and I don't even remember that. That will give you an idea of the level of intoxication.”

He told the court he had been friends with the defendant for more than 20 years, and until the incident last year, had never so much as raised his voice to the victim.

He said: “I didn't want to kill Guy, a person I've known for 20 years, I'd never had a fight or argument with him.”

The trial continues.