Jurors shown video footage of businessman's arrest following Boxing Day death

Construction boss Adam Jenkins killed Simon Birch when he drew a knife across the left side of his neck in the late evening on December 25 2021, prosecutors claimed.

Mr Birch, 39, who was the partner of Jenkins' sister Emma Jenkins, lost an "enormous" amount of blood and was declared dead just after midnight on Boxing Day.

Jenkins, 36, of Sunderland Road, Newbottle, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, denies murder and manslaughter and is being tried by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard the deadly confrontation happened outside Adam Jenkins' family home, where he lived with his partner Natalie Shaw, and where festive celebrations had been taking place.

Jurors have today been shown footage of Jenkins being arrested, initially on suspicion of assault, while the emergency services are still trying to save Mr Birch.

Jenkins' response to the arrest was to ask: "Why assault?"

At just after midnight on Boxing Day Jenkins is re-arrested on suspicion of murder, while he is in the back of a police van.

His response was to say: "Murder? Is he dead? Is he dead? No way he's dead, no way."

The court was also shown video footage of Jenkins being questioned by detectives at the police station. He was asked if he murdered Mr Birch and replied: "No, no I didn't."

He was then asked if he injured or assaulted Mr Birch and said: "No, not that I remember, definitely not, it was the other way around if owt, it was the other way around."

Jenkins told detectives he had gone to bed after the Christmas Day celebrations but had been woken up and told there was "fighting" in his house.

He added: "I went downstairs and in the sitting room Simon was punching Emma and then he grabbed Natalie and she pulled him over, next to me, on the end of the settee.

"I went to help Natalie, next thing I know I wake up and he was on top of me. I don't know what happened. Obviously he must have been laying into me."

"It was hazy like. We somehow got split up then I went outside, went out the front door, I think it was the front door.

"He was standing there and like came towards me and the next thing remember was Natalie screaming, saying 'help, help' and then I helped.

"I took my top off and put it where he was bleeding and kept doing that, kept helping him."

The trial continues.