Friend tells how he saw death of Dalbagh Singh Malhi on Bentilee estate

A WITNESS has told how he saw his friend collapse in the middle of a road after being stabbed.

Anthony Brain told the jury at Stafford Crown Court that he saw Dalbagh Singh Malhi being attacked by Lee Shaw as he looked through the window of his sister's home.

The court heard Mr Brain was with his sister at a house next door to the property in Wellfield Road, Bentilee, where Shaw was at a party.

He had spoken to Shaw earlier on the evening of May 12 last year and described him as 'sound'.

But it is claimed that Shaw become aggressive when a taxi he had ordered drove away without him.

The court heard Shaw then knocked on the door and asked Mr Brain to ring a taxi for him at around midnight.

When it arrived, Mr Brain knocked on next door to tell Shaw the cab was waiting.

In his evidence he said: "He said to the driver that he was just waiting for a friend to come off the toilet. He asked the driver to wait.

"He went in the house to get his friend. He was wobbly on his feet and slurred."

The court heard the taxi driver then left without Shaw and his friend.

Asked how Shaw reacted, Mr Brain told the court: "He knocked on the door to ask me if I knew why the taxi had driven off.

"He was with (his girlfriend) Amy. She was telling him to calm down, they would just ring another taxi.

"Then he started effing and blinding at her to tell her to shut up.

"He seemed like a sound guy earlier in the night. After the taxi drove off that was when his angry side came out.

"He was totally different to the way he was earlier in the night."

A short time later, Mr Brain said he heard shouting outside and looked out of the window to see Shaw attack 'an Asian guy' – Mr Malhi.

"I saw Lee throw a punch like a boxing jab," Mr Brain said. "I saw the Asian bloke stumbling back.

"Then there were left and right punches thrown by Lee, like he was boxing."

Mr Brain said Mr Malhi 'just kept stumbling back' and only threw one punch in an effort to defend himself.

He then became aware Shaw was holding a knife while aiming blows at Mr Malhi, who lived at Beverley Drive, Bentilee.

He added: "I saw the Asian man stumble back into the middle of Housefield Road, which was where he collapsed and I knew he had been stabbed."

Mr Brain said he only later learned that the victim was Mr Malhi, who he knew as Bugsy.

He added: "He was a friend of mine since I was a young lad. When I realised it was Bugsy it shocked me even more."

Mr Malhi was pronounced dead at 2.15am on May 13.

Shaw, of Community Drive, Smallthorne, denies murdering 29-year-old Mr Malhi.

The trial continues.