A DRUG dealer stabbed a user in a row over ‘rubbish’ crack cocaine and left him bleeding outside a Worcester flat, a court heard.

Ethan Bell denies attempted murder, section 18 wounding and possession of a blade following the stabbing in George Street.

The 19-year-old of Himley Street, Dudley, appeared at Worcester Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) for a trial following the incident on June 11 this year.

Keil Mansfield was stabbed three times – twice to the abdomen which perforated his bowel and once to the chest which cut an artery causing his chest cavity to fill with blood.

Witness Kerry Marnell told the jury she had gone to the flat with partner Richard Hill, known as ‘Booey’, to 'score' heroin and crack cocaine from Ethan Bell, known to her as ‘Spoons’. They arrived at between 9pm and 10pm, buying some crack cocaine for £20 which they split between them.

However, after smoking it she said the crack was ‘rubbish’ and her partner left to get money from his dad, this time to buy heroin from another dealer.

Ms Marnell heard an argument in one of the bedrooms between Bell and Mr Mansfield over £20, hearing the defendant say ‘no, you ain’t having any’.

In the room she saw Mr Mansfield standing over Bell who was lying on the bed before both grappled and scuffled over a knife.

She told the court Bell kept a 'Rambo knife' in his waistband with an eight or nine inch blade but could not be sure this was the same blade.

Ms Marnell left the room and returned with a broomstick, hitting Bell over the head. She said: “I don’t know how many times I hit him. It was as hard as I could.

"I was trying to knock him out. I was scared he was going to stab Keil."

She heard Bell say: “What are you doing this to me for Kerry?”

Once the broom handle broke Ms Marnell went to the kitchen to find another weapon, going ‘frantically’ through the drawers. The scuffle between had moved towards the front door where she heard Mr Mansfield say: “I’ve been stabbed! I’ve been stabbed!”

He collapsed in an alleyway by some bins.

“I remember him saying he was going to die and he was asking me to tell the kids 'I love them'” she said.

A trainee nurse arrived to help. Ms Marnell, who said she had saved Mr Mansfield’s life, saw Bell running away towards the canal.

Caroline Harris, defending, said: “Can I suggest you were shouting something along the lines of ‘it doesn’t have to be like this, just give me the money’?

Ms Marnell denied this and said she did not remember Bell saying the money was in his pocket or jabbing Bell with the point of the broken broom handle. She denied she was ‘in on any attack on Spoons’.

Ms Marnell was arrested that night on suspicion of attempted murder. Asked why she had been ‘evasive’ with police she said she was ‘scared’ and did not want to ‘grass on anyone’.

Harpreet Sandhu, prosecuting, said: “Did you want to rob Spoons of any money?”

“No, I was waiting for my boyfriend” she replied.

“Did you want to rob Spoons of any drugs?” she was asked.

“No” said Ms Marnell. “He never had none.”

The trial continues.