A MAN accused of stabbing his ex-partner’s son to death claims he was attacked first, a court has heard.

Vladislav Pomozov, 46, of Holdenhurst Road, said he was defending himself as Andrejs Trofimovics – the man he stands accused of killing – rained blows down upon him.

Winchester Crown Court yesterday heard how Pomozov had spent New Year’s Eve with his then partner, Olga Trofimovica – the mother of Andrejs.

Kazakhstan-born Pomozov said he was stood in the kitchen with Andrejs and his father, Olga’s ex-husband, Jevgenijs Trofimovics – whose home in Cleveland Road, Bournemouth they were celebrating at.

He claims Andrejs was asking him questions about his relationship with his mother and alleged gambling issues. Pomozov said he refused to speak about his private life when Andrejs started to punch his hand into his fist. He said he asked to leave the kitchen when he was struck with a number of blows from both Andrejs and Jevgenijs – so many, in fact, he claims to have suffered a concussion.

Pomozov is on trial for the murder of Andrejs, and the attempted murder and wounding with intent of Jevgenijs.

He denies the charges.

Reading aloud Pomozov’s interview responses – which were translated from Russian at the time, in the days following the incident – Nigel Lickley QC, prosecuting, said Pomozov claimed to have grabbed anything - a ‘stick, chair or stool’ - to defend himself.

“As soon as I got ready to leave I received a blow to my face from Andrejs again, again and again,” he read. “I grabbed the first thing. I said ‘stop, stop, allow me to leave’. I don’t know, maybe this object made them even angrier. I didn’t see.

“I was fighting them off. Maybe I injured Andrejs. Maybe Andrejs injured himself. I covered my face. I was in a state of shock.

“I felt dizzy and nauseous. All this happened under pressure. It was concussion.

“They would have beaten me up very badly. I don’t think they would have killed me but they would have beaten me up pretty bad.”

Pomozov claimed the next thing he remembered was seeing Andrejs slumped on the kitchen floor, holding his side, with blood beneath him. Olga then came in and told him to leave, but Pomozov claims he tried to help by fetching towels to stem Andrejs’s wounds. She told him to leave the flat, which he did, before he was arrested, he said.

“I did not want to cause anybody any harm,” he had said during his interview. “I wanted to celebrate. The woman I love was with me. I did not cause any problems to anyone.”

The trial continues.