A landlord hesitated alerting 999 after a man was dying in his home after being stabbed because "people had been taking drugs", a court heard.

Ryan Muir also told jurors he was unaware Luke Sullivan suffered three knife wounds, two to his chest, moments after fighting mixed martial artist Dennis Jones at his home Rochester High Street.

Jones, 37, denies murdering Mr Sullivan, 31, during a cocaine and alcohol binge at his flat in November 2019.

He argues he acted in lawful self-defence when Mr Sullivan suffered a fatal stab wound after attacking him with the blade.

Mr Muir, his landlord and friend of four years, told Maidstone Crown Court he left the pair “singing” and “in good spirits” when he went to sleep.

But the situation turned sinister as he woke in his upstairs bedroom with the pair fighting on the landing, jurors heard.

Mr Muir explained he opened his door to see Jones in a fighting stance, shouting “he’s got a knife”, before punching Mr Sullivan twice to the head.

“(Mr Sullivan) just collapsed to the floor,” Mr Muir told the jury.

Asked if he saw Jones with a knife, he added: “I couldn’t see Den’s hand, it was just like a silhouette.

“Den then tried to sit him up against the wall, he just put him up right so he was resting against the wall.”

Mr Muir told the court he “thinks” he saw a discarded knife “somewhere in the middle of the landing,” before he went downstairs in a panic, unaware Mr Sullivan had been stabbed.

The court heard Jones shouted for Mr Muir to call an ambulance, which he didn’t act on immediately.

When prosecutor Philip Bennett QC asked why he hesitated, Mr Muir said: “There was a delay because I didn’t see why and people had been taking drugs.”

Minutes later, he told a 999 call-handler Mr Sullivan’s breathing had become “abnormal” after Jones punched him unconscious in self-defence, the court heard.

Mr Muir explained he and Jones then administered CPR, but he “didn’t register” the blood before paramedics arrived. Mr Sullivan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jones and Mr Muir, who would later be dropped as a suspect, were arrested on suspicion of murder, the court heard.

Jones would go on to tell police Mr Sullivan tried to stab him when he accidentally sustained three wounds during a fight.

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• Murder suspect told police victim had stabbed himself

But prosecutors claim Jones intended to kill Mr Sullivan by stabbing him twice in the chest, severing an artery, and once in the arm.

Forensic scientist Gillian Leak told jurors she believed Mr Sullivan was in “some sort of upright position” when he was stabbed.

But she added the blood trajectory made it impossible to pinpoint exactly where was standing when he was stabbed.

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