A WIRRAL man who fatally stabbed a friend in the leg with a large ceremonial sword has been found guilty of his murder.

Douglas Plumpton, a 26-year-old Rastafarian, had admitted the manslaughter of his neighbour Iain Maddocks and claimed he had never meant to harm him and denied murder.

But a Liverpool Crown Court jury convicted him of that offence following just three hours of deliberation.

Members of the victim's family gasped and sobbed in the public gallery, before hugging each other, when the unanimous verdict was returned.

During the trial, which lasted nine days, the jury of eight women and four men heard how the victim bled to death on his 32nd birthday just outside the front door of Plumpton's flat in Whetstone Lane, Birkenhead.

He had suffered a number of stab and slash wounds but it was the stab injury to his femoral artery in his left leg that primarily led to his death.

Mr Maddocks, who lived in the same block, had previously borrowed £180 from Plumpton and agreed to pay it back at £70 per month but in March this year had only paid £40.

Plumpton, who is known to friends by the nickname “Rasta Jack”, was angry about this and had damaged Mr Maddock’s car headlights.

When Maddocks called at his home on the afternoon of March 30, Good Friday, the fatal incident occurred.

The defendant, a left-wing activist, claimed that Mr Maddocks had produced a kitchen knife and so he grabbed the sword, which was one of two he had to help him make scenes realistic in his Game of Thrones type novel he was writing.

He claimed that the victim suffered the fatal stab wound during a struggle with the sword and said he could not understand how his leg had been injured.

The court heard that there was blood along 19cm of the two inch thick sword from the tip.

The sword along with the knife, which the prosecution disputed had been brought to the scene by Mr Maddocks, was shown to the jury during the trial.

The victim died in hospital about an hour and a half after the incident and a pathologist found he had suffered five stab wounds and two groups of slash type wounds.

The cause of death was shock and haemorrhage caused primarily by a cut to his femoral artery in his left leg, said Gordon Cole, QC, prosecuting.

After the jury’s verdict Plumpton showed no emotion in the dock aside from glancing to look at his family and friends in court, including a young woman who burst into tears.

Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said he required a psychiatric report before sentencing Plumpton and adjourned the case for six weeks in order for one to be prepared.

He further remanded him in custody until his sentencing in the week commencing November 5 this year.

The judge thanked jurors for their "detailed attention to what has been a very serious and distressing case".

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Paul Parry said: "This was a particularly tragic case as Plumpton and Mr Maddocks were known to each other and were in fact friends.

"This incident stemmed from a row over drug money but led to Mr Maddocks being stabbed and slashed numerous times, one of which proved to be fatal.

"Plumpton continued to deny murdering his friend and the case went to court forcing Mr Maddocks’ family to endure a trial.

"I hope that today’s conviction allows Mr Maddocks’ family to now move on with their lives and grieve properly and gives Plumpton time to reflect on the consequences of his actions."