A JURY heard the last of the evidence in the Gerry Edwards murder trial at the Old Bailey today (December 11).

David Kilcullen denies murdering Mr Edwards, 59, and attempting to murder his partner, Chris Bevan, in their flat in Page Heath Villas, Bickley, on March 3.

Mr Bevan, 57, spent months recovering in hospital from stab wounds but appeared in court for much of the trial using a walking stick.

In his closing speech today, prosecutor Richard Wright said 46-year-old Kilcullen was lying when he claimed he was sexually assaulted by the pair – the alleged motive for the alcoholic’s attack.

Describing the attack on Mr Edwards, Mr Wright said: “There is a head-on conflict here between the account of the defendant and the account of the survivor.

“This was not an accident. It was not in self-defence.

“It was the deliberate and repeated stabbing of a vulnerable man with a kitchen knife.

“The assertion made of sexual assault on Kilcullen by the two men is we say nothing more than a slur.”

Describing the four stab wounds suffered by Mr Edwards, Mr Wright asked: “What does that tell you? Accident or design? What does that tell you about the state of mind of the person responsible?”

He then asked the jury to consider the “sheer horror of what took place” when 6ft 2in Kilkullen confronted a frail Mr Edwards and Mr Bevan, both 5ft 6in tall, in their kitchen.

Mr Wright dismissed the defence’s argument the wounds were sustained when Kilkullen defended himself during a violent struggle.

A court heard earlier this week from Kilcullen, who claimed he was sexually assaulted by Mr Edwards and Mr Bevan before fleeing to his home in The Avenue, Bickley.

Kilcullen said he then returned 10 minutes later with a knife to blackmail the couple into handing over cash, but did not intend to stab them.

Paul Purnell, defending, questioned the accuracy of Mr Bevan’s claims that both he and Mr Edwards were lying quietly on the kitchen floor when they were stabbed.

Talking to the jury, Mr Purnell said: “Certainly you will find force was used.

“But we suggest to you it’s consistent with two people coming together, which doubles the force.

“We can’t make sense of Mr Bevan’s version of that night by comparing it with the material evidence.”

The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict on Monday morning.