A grandfather said ‘what the f*** dude’ moments before he was fatally stabbed in the neck following a day of drinking with friends, a court heard.

Ashley Crooks, who had recently become a grandfather, was attacked by Clint Atkin before he started ‘arrogantly strutting around’ around the alleged murder scene in a North East flat.

Robert Francis told Teesside Crown Court how his friend fell to the floor without making any effort to stop his fall.

Jurors watched a video-recorded police interview of the witness following the alleged murder in his Billingham home.

The Northern Echo: Ashley CrooksAshley Crooks (Image: CLEVELAND POLICE)

He said: “Ash was sat on the sofa, the lad that stabbed Ash never sat down at all. I was making a cigarette and the next thing I knew I heard Ash say - “what the f*** dude”.

“I could see Clint standing over Ash. He said: ‘I’ve stabbed him, I’ve stabbed him’.

“I saw Ash fall off the sofa onto the floor. I knew it wasn’t good because he didn’t put his hands up to stop his fall.

“I saw Clint walking backwards and forwards like an arrogant type of strut. He left my premises and I was on the phone to the police.”

Mr Francis said the murder accused told him that they needed to get rid of the body but he told him ‘that body is my f****** mate’.

The witness told police that he feared for his life when Atkin returned to his flat while he was on the phone to them.

Jurors heard how officers arrived at Kennedy Gardens in Billingham early on Thursday, May 25, last year, and arrested the 45-year-old murder accused at the scene.

Opening the case, Nick Dry, prosecuting, said: “Without warning the defendant stabbed Mr Crooks through the neck with a knife he had taken from the kitchen, there were no words, no known issues between them, no fall out and no history.

“Mr Crooks's final words were “what the f*** dude".”

The Northern Echo: Police at the scene of the alleged murder in BillinghamPolice at the scene of the alleged murder in Billingham (Image: STUART BOULTON)

Jurors heard how the Billingham man had been out drinking at the Astronaut pub and met the defendant before going to The Half Moon Inn.

CCTV footage showed the pair were on good terms, Mr Dry added. Jurors were told that Mr Crooks was in the ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ when he was fatally stabbed in the neck.

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

🌟 Flash Sale Alert! 🌟 Dive into the heart of your community with a digital subscription to The Northern Echo! For a limited time only, enjoy 4 months of unlimited access for just £4 or enjoy 40% off an annual subscription. Click here.

The court heard forensic scientists arrived on the scene and noted a knife was missing from the knife block and was later found in the sink.

The knife was seized and DNA from Atkin was found on both the handle and cutting edge of the knife.

Atkin, of Rochester Road in Billingham, denies murder.

The trial continues.