Stabbing accused said he '˜lost his mind' during Portsmouth attack

Homeless Dler Mohammed launched his attack on Diana Pranskuniene outside Barclays Bank, in London Road, North End, on July 9, jurors have been told.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the 43-year-old had been in the busy street in the hours leading up to the attack.

CCTV footage, shown to the jury yesterday, recorded Mohammed stashing a knife in a juice carton by Sainsbury’s, near Laburnum Grove, six hours before the attack.

Giving evidence, Mohammed said he was hiding the kitchen knife because he wanted to use it to cut up his food but did not want to get caught with it on the street.

The prosecution said that was not true.

Taking to the stand, Mohammed said he had never intended to kill Ms Pranskuiene.

Speaking via a Kurdish interpreter, he told the court he had been waiting in the street to try and talk to his brother Hiwar Namiq – who lived with the victim.

While in London Road he encountered Ms Pranskuniene. The pair started spoke in the street, at which point Mohammed ran off, picked up his knife, returned, and stabbed her before fleeing.

Speaking to the jury, he admitted he had no idea why he attacked the 36-year-old and claimed he only wanted to ‘scare’ her.

‘I was angry and I didn’t know what I was doing,’ he said, adding: ‘I lost my mind.

‘I had the intention to scare her only but I do not know what happened.

‘I was not aware of myself. I didn’t know what I have done.

‘I lost my mind. I didn’t know what I was doing.

But prosecutor Stephen Parish said this was a lie.

‘The fact is Mr Mohammed you planned this attack that morning, didn’t you?’ he said.

‘You were waiting there, weren’t you, all day for Diana.

‘The fact is you were extremely jealous of Diana weren’t you?’

Mohammed, of no fixed address, denies a charge of attempted murder.

(Proceeding)