Diplomat denies killing mugger

Damian Broom died from a stab wound to the chest

A Colombian diplomat has denied deliberately hunting down and stabbing a mugger who had robbed his son.

Jairo Soto-Mendoza, 44, said he was just trying to overpower Damian Broom when he confronted him near a Tesco store in Greenford, west London on 21 May last year.

The sergeant major is accused of picking up a knife, tracking down and murdering Mr Broom, 23, in a rage after hearing his son had been attacked.

But Mr Soto-Mendoza told the Old Bailey it was Mr Broom who had the knife and was hiding behind bushes when he and his son approached.

He told the court he had to defend himself using his elite Special Forces training.

The prosecution allege the secretary to the military attaché to the Colombian Embassy in London acted in "anger and retaliation" after his 21-year-old son was robbed by two men.

The sergeant major went hunting for them and spotted them in the supermarket near his home in Greenford, west London, in May last year.

Mr Broom was stabbed in the chest and left to collapse on the pavement. He died in hospital an hour later.

It was a panic movement to protect oneself. It happened in seconds. Jairo Soto-Mendoza

"Everything happened in a second," said Mr Soto-Mendoza.

"When I got near to him, I could see he was holding a knife.

"He charged towards me. My first reaction was to hold him by his hands. I turned his hands towards him and turned them round.

"It is a panic movement to protect oneself. The knife was pointing towards him. It happened in seconds. It was instinctive."

Mr Soto-Mendoza said he pushed Mr Broom to the floor to buy time and ran off, telling his son to run because he had a weapon.

He told the court he had not noticed Mr Broom had been injured.

He agreed he was covered by diplomatic immunity at the time, but said he was forbidden to carry weapons by diplomatic rules.

The trial continues.