Hayling Island Wimpy attempted murder trial: Staff describe wrenching knife from colleague’s hands after stabbing

Giving evidence at Harry Middleton’s attempted murder trial, Wimpy manager Natalie Page said she heard her name screamed by Middleton’s ex-partner 21-year-old Louise Brindley in the store room at the restaurant in Funland, Hayling Island.

When she entered the bloodied room in the afternoon of November 24 she found Miss Brindley with her back to the wall and knees to her chest with Middleton, 21, on top of her, with his knees on her shins, and his hands on her upper chest.

Jurors were told Miss Brindley suffered three wounds to her thigh, three to her chest and cuts on a finger and thumb when Middleton lunged at her as she had wiped away his tears and asked him what was wrong.

Today Miss Page said: ‘I literally put my arms around him and bear-hugged him off her and that’s when I saw the knife.’

Miss Page said she was joined by colleague Tylier Murdoch who was ‘four seconds’ behind her into the store room.

Both women tried to remove the tomato knife from Middleton’s hand as he gripped the handle with both hands with interlocked fingers, with the blade pointing away from him.

Miss Page said: ‘I’m still hugging him but trying to prise his hands open, at the same time as Tylier is trying to get the knife out his hands.

‘All our main thought was trying to get the knife out this situation.

‘She’s pulling the knife, I was on his hands trying to pull his hands open because he did not want to let go.’

She added: ‘He resisted at first. As soon as the knife was gone it was like he had given up.

Miss Page said: ‘I said to him “what are you doing?” I was in total shock. He didn’t say anything. At this point he was on the floor crying. My hands were still on him.

‘I said it to him again, “what have you done?” and that’s when he turned around and said “I was trying to kill her”.’

The Wimpy worker added: ‘So after he’d made the comment about “I was trying to kill her”, he had gone to me “I just went for her, look what she’s made me do”.’

Sarah Jones QC, for Middleton, asked Miss Page to clarify what she heard Middleton said. She said it was ‘look what she’s done to me’.

Ms Jones asked if it was possible Middleton could have said ‘I could have killed or I nearly killed her’ but Miss Page said he did not but was ‘on the floor hysterically crying’.

Middleton, of Chidham Close, Havant, denies attempted murder.