JURORS have heard a dramatic 999 call made by a man who came across the scene of an alleged murder then climbed through a window to perform CPR on the victim.

Craig Dixon told the call handler he did not want to go inside the house at Esh Winning, County Durham, after looking through the window and seeing a man with two knives and another, slumped over, covered in blood.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Mr Dixon and a friend, called Ozzy, went to Robert Askew’s house in Wood View, on the afternoon of Saturday, April 24.

Read more: Man died after being stabbed with rusty machete

When they arrived, Mr Dixon looked through the kitchen window and saw Mr Askew, known as Ercle, holding a kitchen knife and a sword-like weapon. He asked Ercle to open the door but was told he had lost the key.

“When he turned round I seen he had blood on him, on his shirt. He was acting strange, really strange,” Mr Dixon told the court.

Through a side window, Mr Dixon saw a young woman in a chair and the body of a man, now known to be David Teague, slumped over – his grey tracksuit stained red with blood.

“At the time I was confused, I didn’t know what to do. I was shouting ‘what have you done?’,” recalled Mr Dixon.

He said the woman seemed scared and repeatedly asked for help to escape and when she managed to get out of a window she ran off.

Mr Dixon rang 999 from outside, not wanting to go in, but when the operator said the injured man needed CPR “to give him the best chance” he climbed through a window and laid Mr Teague flat on the floor and start CPR.

From outside the house he told the operator: “I’m a bit nervous.

“He has been stabbed I think, there’s blood everywhere, he’s not responding.

“I can just see him through the window, sorry.”

During the 20 minute call, the court heard as Mr Dixon said “push, push” over and over as he performed chest compressions on Mr Teague and described blood and air coming out of his mouth.

Mr Dixon was also heard asking the door to be opened before emergency services arrived.

Robert Woodcock QC, for the defence, said: “I am quite sure everyone would accept you behaved in a very courageous and proper manner.

“Being confronted with a scene which totally shocked you, you were undoubtedly doing your best, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” replied Mr Dixon.

Mr Woodcock asked Mr Dixon if Mr Askew had taken over from him to perform CPR on Mr Teague.

He said: “You asked Ercle to take over.

“We heard you say ‘are you going to do this Ercle? Please. Yeah.’

“With the ambulance three minutes away you say ‘here, put you hand on like me, lock them together, push like that. Yeah, yeah, he’s doing it, right I’m going to kick the door in’.”

Mr Dixon said: “He did it for a little bit.”

Police and ambulance crews then arrived at the scene and an officer smashed a window to gain access to the house.

Mr Teague, 33, from Stockton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Robert Askew, 35, denies murdering David Teague and of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and false imprisonment of Mr Teague’s partner’s daughter Chloe Richardson.

The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, continues.

 

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