FISE AMES MURDER TRIAL: Flatmate tells jurors of moment masked attackers entered home

Shaun Riches, Michael Raine and Scott Mitchell went into Faisal Ames Abdou's flat, in the early hours of the morning and inflicted ten stab wounds to his legs in a deadly knife attack, it is claimed.

Mr Abdou was living with Brandon Cairns at Marshall Wallis Road, South Shields, when he was killed on March 5.

At Newcastle Crown Court today, Mr Cairns told jurors he had known Mr Abdou "all my life" and said: "He was a good friend of mine.

"He was always a good mate, he was never stroppy or nowt, always a good mate."

The court heard on the day before the killing, Mr Cairns and Mr Abdou had been out on bikes then returned to the flat to watch television and take cannabis.

Mr Cairns told jurors he received a call from some people, asking if they could visit the flat and both he and Mr Abdou agreed that they could.

He said: "I just thought they were going to come round and have a little drink and that, that's all I thought, a couple of drinks and that.

"I didn't think any trouble was going to occur."

Mr Cairns said there was a knock at the door about ten minutes after the call and added: "I opened the door and invited them in then a few kids have ran inthe bedroom and stabbed Faisal.

"They had a knife to me in the passage, I didn't know what to do."

Mr Cairns said the three men were "masked up" and he later confirmed what he said in his statement to police, that one of the men at the door was "Micky Raine".

He added: "All three walked in, two of them went in the bedroom, one of them stayed in the passage with me, with a knife.

"Two of them went into the bedroom and ****ing stabbed the kid up."

Mr Cairns said when the men left he "tried to help Faisal", who was bleeding heavily.

He added: "I don't know how to explain how I felt, I was a bit in shock."

Mr Cairns said Mr Abdou told him "I've been stabbed" and said he felt dizzy so he called for an ambulance straight away.

The court heard Mr Cairns, who said he had been in trouble for "bits and bobs" before, was arrested over Mr Abdou's death but was released after he explained to detectives what had happened.

Jurors have heard Mr Abdou died from blood loss after being stabbed ten times to the legs.

Riches, 24, of Wycliffe Avenue, Newcastle, Raine, 35, of Grace House, Percy Main, North Tyneside, and Mitchell, 25, of no fixed abode, all deny murder.

The trial continues.