Man cleared of murdering his common law father

David Newitt, aged 30, of South Ockendon, Essex, denied killing Dennis Williamson, from Welsby Close, Fearnhead, and claimed the victim lunged at him with a kitchen knife when he met him in the street in the early hours of February 12.

Mr Williamson, who died from a stab wound to his heart, had arrived in Essex from Warrington just hours earlier with his wife, Ruth.

They had gone to visit their daughter Faith Williamson.

Mr Newitt rejected suggestions that he had returned home and attacked Mr Williamson after his girlfriend claimed that Mr Williamson had sexually abused her as a teenager.

The father-of-one told the jury, during his trial at Basildon Crown Court, that Mr Williamson became angry when he called him a pervert.

A struggle broke out but Mr Newitt insisted that he managed to wrestle the knife free from Mr Williamson's hand.

He said he did not realise the 55-year-old had been fatally wounded when he went to call an ambulance.

Pathologist Dr David Rouse said that it would have required a 'severe degree of force' to plunge a knife through Mr Williamson's breast bone and into his heart.

He concluded that Mr Williamson's death was caused by internal and external bleeding.

On cross examination by Adam Kane, defending, Dr Rouse ruled out the possibility Mr Williamson had fallen on the blade but said it was possible the victim could have stabbed himself in the chest.