Jamie Dempsey: Mother told son 'you're a divvy' after he stabbed her in heart

A mother told her son "you're a divvy" after he fatally stabbed her in the heart, a court has heard.

Jamie Dempsey, 32, is standing trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of murdering his 55-year-old mother Karen when he knifed her in the chest during a fight outside a pub.

The court has heard that after stabbing her in the heart, Dempsey hugged her before leaving her to bleed to death. He denies murder.

The court heard Dempsey had been trading blows with Brian Flynn, who he owed a £2,000 drug debt, outside the Brambles pub in Kirkby.

Giving evidence, Dempsey claimed he had previously been subjected to death threats from Flynn - who was also stabbed at least five times during the incident in summer last year - over the unpaid cocaine money.

Despite jurors previously being told Dempsey owed the money to Flynn, but he claimed he in fact "owed one of his friends".

He said he had been attacked previously by him at a nearby pub in March 2022 and described an incident where he received a phone call threatening to kill him if he didn't pay off the debt.

Dempsey said he did not pay up as he had "lost his job and was skint" and on the night of his mother's death, said that they would "just leave" the pub if they saw Flynn.

"It was just a stupid idea to be honest with you," he said. "I don't know why I went there to be honest with you. I didn't know that's where he went all the time.

"I don't really know the man. I should have just kept away from there.

"I just said to my mum 'there's that lad there. I want to get off'.

"She said 'stay seated, I'll call us a taxi. I don't think he'll do anything while you're with all of us in the pub'."

He said he couldn't remember much about the incident that started the fight, but was hit on the side of the head and then later cut on his wrist by a second glass that was thrown.

The 32-year-old described Flynn shouting at him and said he hoped by showing him a knife it would scare him.

But during the altercation, it was his mother who got stabbed.

Asked when he realised his mum had become involved in the altercation, Dempsey tearfully said: "I didn't, not until after she showed me her chest. Then the fight had stopped really, I think I had my eyes closed for most of the fight.

"She just grabbed me and said 'Jamie you stabbed me'. I couldn't believe what I'd just seen, and that was about it.

"I said 'mum, I'm sorry'. She said 'you're just a divvy lad, it would happen to you'.

"I gave her a hug and she said to leave. She told me to leave and get away from there.

"I was a bit erratic. I was in shock to be honest with you, with what I'd done to my mum and to Brian.

"I didn't want to do any of it, I just wanted to get away from him. I regret it more than anything in the world, what I've done.

"She was my rock, she was the only person in the world that's been there all my life - my best friend to be honest with you.

"I loved her more than anything. Absolutely brilliant she was, best nan in the world."

The court heard that when he was arrested on suspicion of murder, Dempsey assumed it was relating to Flynn.

As he was was led back to the dock following cross-examination, he turned to his family in the public gallery and said: "I'm sorry. Properly sorry."

Dempsey denies murder. The trial continues.