John Buchanan’s mind “was a fog of thoughts and emotions” when he threw a kitchen knife at a love rival, a jury was told today.

The 22-year-old, of St John’s Crescent, Ramsgate, has admitted throwing the weapon after confronting his girlfriend’s ex-lover but denies trying to harm him.

The jury at Canterbury Crown Court retired this afternoon to consider their verdict.

Defence counsel Oliver Saxby QC told the court this afternoon to ask themselves what was in Buchanan’s mind at the time.

He said: “Was it an intention to harm, to cause really serious harm? Was he foreseeing that he might cause harm?

“And what he was doing was throwing the knife he had at the car? Was it a parting shot?”

The jury heard how Buchanan and his rival Archie Ward had an argument last June in Ramsgate.

As Mr Ward got into back into his car, Buchanan threw the knife which went through an open window and severed Mr Ward’s artery and he bled to death.

Mr Saxby said Buchanan, who has denied murder and manslaughter, had been standing 10 metres away when he threw the knife.

“Nobody’s suggesting he grasped it by the blade or the tip, as you might do if you were trying to be some sort of knife-thrower.

“The evidence is clear. He had it in his hand. And he threw it at Archie Ward and the fact it struck Mr Ward anywhere vital, anywhere liable to cause really serious injury, is the stuff of catastrophic coincidence.

“How likely was it that he was going to cause Mr Ward really serious injury?, “ he added.

The barrister added that there had been “ a number of coincidences” which had led to the death.

“Firstly, it’s a coincidence that the knife went anywhere near the window 10 metres away because. He’s not some sort of champion knife-thrower.

“Secondly, that it went in the area of the passenger window. It could have missed the car altogether, or struck the frame, or the rear window. “

Mr Saxby added that after the confrontation between the two men “you can be sure that John Buchanan’s heart was pounding and his mind was all over the place”.