A grandfather was stabbed through the heart “for no reason” when he stepped in to defend a barmaid from being threatened and humiliated by an irate customer, the Old Bailey heard.
Aiden O’Mahoney, 60, was watching his beloved Spurs play in the FA Cup when he noticed an “aggressive and agitated” James Roberts first hitting his own father and then turning his rage on the barmaid.
When Roberts, 31, grabbed the woman and threatened to stab her, O’Mahoney tried to intervene, telling him: “You don’t treat a lady like that”, the court heard.
Roberts allegedly invited Mr O’Mahoney outside to fight, but turned and stabbed him in the chest before they had reached the door of the pub.
Roberts, of Ambleside Avenue, Elm Park, is on trial at the Old Bailey for murder, at the JJ Moon pub in High Street, Hornchurch, on January 10.
Mr O’Mahoney had gone to the pub to watch Tottenham play Leicester in the cup, a match that ended 2-2. Spurs won the replay ten days later.
Prosecutor David Jeremy said: “There was no reason, if there ever can be a reason for stabbing a man to death.
“Mr O’Mahoney was peacefully enjoying a drink with friends while watching a football match on TV in the pub.
“They didn’t know each other, but the explanation for what happened lies in the defendant’s mood that afternoon.”
He said CCTV shows Roberts being “aggressive and progressively becoming enraged” while talking to his father who was also in the pub.
“He was leaning forward towards his father, jabbing his face and talking in an animated fashion”, said Mr Jeremy.
“One of the witnesses heard the defendant say: ‘Don’t tell me how to raise my kids, it’s not like you were a great dad.’.
“It appears what provoked the defendant was a discussion between him and his father about his parenting skills.”
He said Roberts went to leave the pub but stopped at the door, apparently annoyed at something that had been said.
When the barmaid stepped in and tried to encourage him to leave, he is said to have started verbally abusing her as well.
“She was trying to defuse the aggression building up and was asking the defendant to leave”, said the prosecutor.
“That had the effect of him transferring his anger to her.”
He said Roberts then grabbed her and put a black object to her neck, saying: “Shut up, I will cut your vagina off. I’m going to stick this up you.”
“Mr O’Mahoney objected to the way the defendant was behaving, unsurprisingly”, added Mr Jeremy.
“It was his objection to the way the defendant was assaulting and humiliating this woman that appears to have cost Mr O’Mahoney his life.”
It is said Roberts punched him once while holding a knife, and Mr O’Mahoney collapsed seconds later and died in hospital from the wound.
Roberts denies murder. The trial continues.
