A 41-year-old man who hid an attempted murder suspect in his loft following a Worcester stabbing has appeared in court after the alleged attacker who wielded the knife died.

Lee Raymond admitted assisting an offender, Paul Cave, after Cave stabbed Paul Gill in Nash's Passage in Worcester city centre more than two years ago.

Cave, who was 48 at the time of the attack, has since died but Raymond appeared at Worcester Crown Court after pleading guilty to assisting an offender.

However, Raymond's sentence was adjourned to allow the preparation of a pre-sentence report and another report, a judge calling it 'regrettable' these had not been completed despite a judge ordering this work to be done last November.

Cave did face attempted murder and a wounding charge in relation to the attack but the defendant died on January 22 last year.

On September 20, 2019 Paul Gill went to the flat of Paul Cave in Worcester city centre where there was a dispute in which Mr Gill was stabbed to the back, shoulder and head. Cave was later found hiding in the loft of Raymond's flat in Borrowdale Drive, Warndon.

We reported at the time how eyewitness described seeing two men arguing down an alleyway before one emerged bleeding heavily and collapsed with ‘multiple’ stab wounds and an apparent head injury.

The victim was named locally  as Paul Gill who was stabbed in Nash’s Passage, which connects New Street with City Walls Road, Worcester.

Mr Gill eventually collapsed outside Wise Owl Toys in Charles Street.

A witness, who owns a nearby business, was walking back from Marks & Spencer at round 5.55pm on that evening when he saw the confrontation.

Raymond later called the taxi which took him and Cave away from the scene.

The maximum sentence for assisting an offender is seven years, the court heard.

Judge Nicholas Cole said the basis of plea, accepted by the Crown, included 'the fact that defendant did not know what Mr Cave had done until they were in the taxi'.

However, the judge said Raymond was 'clearly aware there was an assault sufficiently serious to cause blood but not necessarily that he knew it was an attempted murder'.

He added: "They separated and did not spend the rest of the evening together."

Eleven days later while Cave was still wanted by police Cave turned up at the defendant's address 'for a short period of time' according to the basis of plea.

It was accepted that it 'wasn't the case he (Cave) had been living there'. When police had asked Raymond if Cave was there he had answered that he was not. Cave was found 'hiding in the loft', the judge said.

Raymond was granted unconditional bail to attend the court for a sentence hearing on March 11 this year.