A DRUG dealer woke up to a man hitting him over the head with a metal bar while a woman held a knife to his throat, a jury was told.

Daniel Bamford, 18, admitted he had been installed at the Darwen home of Michael Keen to sell heroin and crack cocaine and that he stabbed him multiple times in a struggle to escape.

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But he denies murdering him or wounding his partner Anne-Marie West, Preston Crown Court was told.

Bamford, who was giving evidence for the first time, told the court he had become a ‘foot soldier’ in the drugs gang having been unable to find legitimate work.

He told the court he had been told to go to Mr Keen’s house in Hazel Avenue on August 22 to ensure he repaid a £1,000 drugs debt and to deal himself.

On arrival he found a rival drugs gang had thrown ammonia in Mr Keen’s face, the court heard.

The jury was told for allowing Bamford to stay at his house the victim had £200 knocked off his debt and also received £50 per day for going around the estate giving the defendant’s phone number out to fellow users.

So when Mr Keen died after suffering 15 stab wounds on August 25, the debt had reduced to £600. The court heard Bamford was selling drugs from inside and outside the house ‘24/7’ and was making the gang between £4,000 and £5,000 per day.

When asked by defence barrister Anthony Berry about the immediate events leading up to Mr Keen’s death, Bamford said around midday he had made a phone call to the gang who instructed him to get Mr Keen’s remaining debt off him.

Bamford denied threatening him with violence and said he was ‘nagging him like a child would nag their mum for an ice cream’. The court heard the self-confessed ‘pot head’ smoked half a joint, fell asleep and awoke to the attack.

Bamford said: “I was woken up to being hit over the head with a metal bar. Mick was doing that. Anne-Marie had the knife up to my neck.I knew it was a knife because I could feel the sharpness of it. I was stunned.

“The next thing, I heard them shouting give me your bits (drugs) and your money now.”

Bamford told the court he managed to slip down to his knee, stand up and grab the knife off Ms West. As he did that he spun and elbowed her, causing her to fall into a cabinet.

When asked by prosecutor Francis McEntee how Ms West had received a stab wound to her back and arm he denied ‘purposely going after her’ but said it could have happened in that incident.

The defendant told the court as he tried to escape he was grabbed by Mr Keen and during a grapple stabbed him twice.

Bamford said as he ran towards the front door Mr Keen grabbed him and pushed him against the door. He told the court that Mr Keen was too strong for him and the only way to release himself was to stab him.

Bamford told the court he had ‘got on with Mick fine’ but described Ms West as ‘aggressive’.

He said he used to give them each £80 of drugs each day and ‘freebies’ if he could see they were ‘coming down’.

When asked by Mr McEntee why they would risk the wrath of the gang and the arrangement of free drugs by robbing him, Mr Bamford, said: “I don’t know. They are smack heads. They would sell their own grandmother for a bag.”

Bamford, of Harvey Lane, Golborne, denies murder and wounding with intent. He has pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply and supplying cocaine and heroin.

Two other men have pleaded guilty to assisting an offender in relation to Bamford’s escape. They are Paul Swift, 44, of Hinckley Road, St. Helens, and an 18-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons. They have been remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date. Bamford’s trial continues.