A CHESTER man has admitted stabbing a friend in the stomach after a drunken row over a cigarette, a court heard.
Anthony McHugh, 48, lashed out after a friend of his, Jamie McLoughlin, refused to give him the rest of his cigarette. Yesterday McHugh, of Westminster Road, Hoole, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent on March 3 and a seperate drugs offence. At an earlier hearing Chester Crown Court heard that McHugh and four friends had been out drinking together and had gone back to the home address of Matthew Jones, on Westminster Road. McHugh was sat on the sofa with Mr McLoughlin and the defendant asked him to save him some of his cigarette but Mr McLoughlin refused. McHugh then started tapping him before he plunged a knife into his abdomen. Mr McLoughlin then grabbed McHugh’s arm before Mr Jones intervened and McHugh made off from the address after dropping the knife on the floor. Mr McLoughlin had to undergo surgery to repair his liver and stab wound. The court also heard a witness statement from Holly Stanton which said around midnight Mr McLoughlin and McHugh began arguing before Mr McLoughlin stood up and said ‘he stabbed me’. The statement said the situation was “panicked” and that she helped stem the blood with a table cloth. The police attended and the defendant was arrested. He answered no comment to interview. The defendant then gave an alternative. He said that the victim had picked up the knife and picked up the defendant’s coat and wound it round the blade plastic of the knife while he was sitting next to him. McHugh told him to give him the coat back and a struggle took place between the two and the victim stabbed himself in the stomach. The victim then stood up. But yesterday McHugh changed his plea to guilty. He will now be sentenced on November 6 for drugs offences and wounding with intent.