Man had life-saving heart surgery after being stabbed in the chest outside Mook Bar in Leeds, attempted murder trial told

A court heard surgeons had to carry out the emergency operation to save the man after he was knifed in the chest by Leighton Wood outside Mook Bar.

Leeds Crown Court was shown CCTV of the incident outside the bar as Hirst's Yard was busy with August Bank Holiday revellers.

Wood, 27, of no fixed address, is on trial accused of attempted murder.

He also pleads not guilty to an alternative charge of unlawful wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The jury was told how the stabbing took place after Benjamin Kelly punched Wood as he feared he was going to attack his friend with the weapon.

Stephen Wood QC, prosecuting, said the defendant walked backwards and bumped into Mr Kelly's friend before words were exchanged between the two men.

The prosecutor said: "When Benjamin Kelly tried to intervene the defendant said he should stay out of it and that he was going to 'stab his mate'.

"Fearing that the defendant would carry out this threat and in order to protect his friend, Mr Kelly punched the defendant, thereby forcing him away from his friend.

"Mr Kelly punched him multiple times.

"The prosecution suggest that when he said this to Mr Kelly, the defendant already had the knife drawn in his right hand.

"We suggest that he had already removed the knife from his right hand pocket.

"Using the knife he aimed at the chest of Mr Kelly and he stabbed him twice."

The prosecutor said the first blow was aimed at the heart and the second blow was to the left side of his abdomen.

Mr Wood continued: "The prosecution say that when he stabbed Mr Kelly to the heart he intended to kill.

"What other intention could a person be possessed of when he stabs someone to such a vulnerable area?

"What he did could not have been in reasonable self-defence of himself and was thus an unlawful assault upon Mr Kelly."

The court heard that Mr Kelly put his hands on Wood's shoulders moments before the incident and said: "Chill out pal. Don't have to go mad or owt like that."

The prosecutor said: "You may think that Mr Kelly was trying to diffuse the situation.

"The defendant was not to be calmed.

"He told Mr Kelly to stay out of it and that he was going to 'do him', stab Mr Kelly's friend."

Mr Kelly did not at first realise that he had been stabbed but soon had difficulty breathing and began to feel faint.

He left the area in a taxi to go home with a friend.

Mr Wood said: "It became clear that Mr Kelly was in a perilous condition and the taxi took a detour to the hospital."

A scan at the hospital showed he had suffered a "devastating" injury that was placing a strain on his heart.

Mr Wood said: "Had he not got to hospital when he did and had the medical staff not acted so promptly, Mr Kelly would have died.

"There is no way he would have survived without immediate surgery."

The court heard the defendant has already pleaded guilty to an offence of having an offensive weapon over the incident on August 30 last year.

The prosecutor told the jury: "We anticipate that the issue for you in this case is whether this defendant may have been acting in lawful self-defence when he stabbed Mr Kelly in the way we have just seen."

The trial continues.