Stab victim died in row over pint

Barry Wilson was stabbed to death in front of his young daughter

A man who was stabbed to death on a neighbour's doorstep in Bristol had been involved in a fight after drinking, neighbours have said.

Barry Wilson, 29, died after returning to his Knowle West home from an anti-crime day organised by police.

The father-of-three had spent part of the afternoon drinking with his alleged killer before the fight started.

Neighbours claim the row centred on a loan of 40p to buy a pint. Police said it was a "petty squabble".

Eagle House social club bar waitress Michelle Rawlings, 26, said the pair appeared to be getting on well during the afternoon, and had been drinking cider and lager.

'Drinks money'

"Just as we were about to close they bought a last pint and they started arguing over money," she said.

"Barry was annoyed because this other guy had used Barry's money to pay for the drinks. They took the drinks out and the attack happened shortly after that."

[The amnesty] was a waste of time...if you want to stab someone you only have to go into a kitchen and get a knife out of the drawer Paul Burgess, local resident

Mr Wilson's stabbing is the second in the city since the launch of a nationwide knife amnesty last week, and comes after several other fatal stabbings across the country in recent days.

Paul Burgess, a neighbour of the dead man, said Mr Wilson smashed a window in a neighbour's house and was shouting before he was fatally wounded.

Another neighbour Julie Hodges said: "When I got to the house he was on the floor covered in blood."

Ms Hodges said she was alerted by one of the victim's daughters, who appealed for her help because her father was fighting.

Amnesty criticised

"I went to his house to get the daughter and the little boy said 'please let my daddy be all right'," the 35-year-old told BBC Radio Bristol.

Mr Burgess, 63, said the victim was carrying a hammer during the fight on Tuesday afternoon.

"The chap who died came out with a hammer in his hand and the other chap must have had a knife and he got stabbed outside," he said.

Neighbours say the row broke out over a 40p loan

Mr Burgess added: "[The amnesty] was a waste of time because at the end of the day if you want to stab someone you only have to go into a kitchen and get a knife out of the drawer."

Police were called at about 1630 BST on Tuesday and found Mr Wilson with two stab wounds, one to his neck and another to the chest, which had punctured his heart. He died later in hospital.

Appealing for witnesses, Det Ch Insp Guy Vickers said: "He's a man from their own neighbourhood, he lives here as one of the community so this is the time for people of this community to come forward."

He said the suspected killer had family ties in the area and appealed for anyone who may be sheltering him to contact police.

"How can anyone possibly protect a man who has killed someone who is a member of this community? It's time to stand up and contact the police."

Mr Wilson's partner Maxine Prescott is pregnant with the couple's fourth child