Man denies murdering neighbour

A man accused of murdering his next door neighbour put his hands in the air like a competition winner before stabbing his victim to death, a Northern Ireland court heard on Tuesday.

Andrew Victor Mawhinney, 32, from the Ballysally estate in Coleraine, County Londonderry, is accused of murdering Robert McMullan on 11 July last year.

The jury at Coleraine crown court heard how the accused and 33-year-old Mr McMullan had been drinking at Mr Mawhinney's Kenbane Avenue home when the situation deteriorated.

The court was told that Mr McMullan had threatened to burn the accused out of his home and that when he returned with a piece of wood, Mr Mawhinney chased him away with an axe.

Prosecution lawyer, Queen's Counsel Gordon Kerr, said witnesses recalled Mr McMullan being felled by Mr Mawhinney and beaten.

He said one witness recalled seeing the defendant raise his hands in the air "like a competition winner" before he stabbed Mr McMullan with a knife.

The jury heard a post mortem examination found 33 wounds on the dead man's body, including seven stab wounds to his chest.

Mr Mawhinney denies the murder.