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Breaking Bad inspired George Knights attempt to dispose of Stephen Chapman's body in wheelie bin in Delce Road in Rochester

The man accused of stabbing a drug dealer in the skull with a military dagger has told a jury how he borrowed a scene from the TV show Breaking Bad to try to dispose of the body.

George Knights said he remembered that sulphuric acid and a wheelie bin had been used in the American crime drama.

George Knights, 19, is accused of murdering Stephen 'Ginger' Chapman
George Knights, 19, is accused of murdering Stephen 'Ginger' Chapman

The 19-year-old told Maidstone Crown Court that father-of-five Stephen Chapman had threatened to kill him after the two fell out over a drugs deal.

Knights said he no longer wanted to deal with Mr Chapman anymore after the two had met at the teenager's home in Delce Road, Rochester last October.

"He (Chapman) completely switched.He blew up and got angry and intimidating. He was telling me that I was making him a lot of money," Knights, who has denied murder, told the jury.

"He said he was going to start hurting people. He was shouting. I recall him putting his hand down by his pocket saying: 'You know I am strapped don't you?'

"I took that to mean he had a knife on him, "

Stephen Chapman's body was found in a fetal position, upside down in a wheelie bin and doused with sulphuric acid, the court heard
Stephen Chapman's body was found in a fetal position, upside down in a wheelie bin and doused with sulphuric acid, the court heard

The teenager added: "I felt at great risk to my life and I had a feeling he was going to use what he had said he had on me. I felt in danger and scared."

Knights said he went upstairs to get the cash to buy the cocaine and then decided to arm himself with a military dagger owned by his father, who had been in the army.

He claimed that Mr Chapman - known as Ginger - was given the money and hoped he was going to leave.

But Knights said: "He started pacing around, walking in circles. It was frightening me. He said 'You are not going to stop selling for me. You clearly have not learned your lesson. I know your dad lives here"

"He said all he had to do was make one phone call and I will learn my lesson."

Officers were seen at the junction of Delce Road and Foord Street on the day Mr Chapman's body was found
Officers were seen at the junction of Delce Road and Foord Street on the day Mr Chapman's body was found

Knights then said Mr Chapman then revealed he knew the addresses of his girlfriend and his brother.

"He did it to threaten me...to scare me. He then punched me in the jaw and I was caught off guard. I hit him back. I tried to fight him off and he pushed me hard to the ground.

"I fell onto my back and my knife and the sheath came out of my pants. Ginger got on top of me and punched me a few times to the stomach and chest.

"That's when he noticed the knife. He then shouted out: 'You've got a knife. I'm going to kill you!'"

Knights claimed Mr Chapman tried to stab him once and "I felt like I was going to die."

Police cars were seen at the scene in Rochester when the body was discovered in October
Police cars were seen at the scene in Rochester when the body was discovered in October

He claimed the knife was "one inch from my head" and "I grabbed it with my left hand and pulled him towards me and the knife went into his head.

"I had to go for the first thing I saw. I genuinely thought he was going to kill me. I was surprised that I got the knife. I managed to get him off me and onto the floor.

"I was shaking...it didn't seem real. Blood was pouring out of his head and this happened extremely quickly."

Defence barrister Gillian Jones QC asked: "How did he seem to you?"

Knights replied: "He was dead. He didn't make any noise. He died straight away."

He then sat on his sofa "shaking" and "crying and having a panic attack and then I went upstairs and couldn't stop being sick."

George Knights, 19, is accused of murdering Stephen 'Ginger' Chapman (47493658)
George Knights, 19, is accused of murdering Stephen 'Ginger' Chapman (47493658)

The teenager added: "I just can't get that image out of my head..the knife going into his head..I just can't get that image out of my head."

Ms Jones asked why he stabbed Mr Chapman and Knights replied: "I was defending myself. He said he was going to kill me.

"I wasn't thinking straight. My head just felt scrambled."

Knights said he then tried to stem the blood with a towel, a bin bag and an Afghan rug.

Ms Jones asked: "Why didn't you call the police?"

The teenager replied: "All I could think about at that point was his (Mr Chapman's) associates would come to get me and my family."

This family photo of Stephen Chapman was released by relatives after his death. Picture: Kent Police
This family photo of Stephen Chapman was released by relatives after his death. Picture: Kent Police

After downing a cocktail of brandy and the drug Xanax to "escape from reality and put my mind in another place" Knights then smashed both of Mr Chapman's phones.

"I thought his associates would seriously hurt me or kill me and I wanted to make sure my family was safe, " he added.

The jury has heard how Mr Chapman's body was then placed in a wheelie bin before Knights poured sulphuric acid over him.

"I watched Breaking Bad and in my madness I thought that was the way of getting rid of him and doing what was done in that film. It was the only thing I could think of.

"I looked on my computer what acid it was. It was sulphuric acid which is what I used in my attempts at making amphetamines, and what kind of plastic you have to put it in. The wheelie bin was the right plastic."

Read more from this trial

After taking a neighbour's bin, he tipped it on its side in the kitchen and while putting the body inside, Mr Chapman's shoes came off.

"I wasn't thinking straight and then I took the acid which was in the house and poured it until I couldn't breathe any more (because of the fumes), " he added.

Later, Knights went partying with friends - as family and friends of Mr Chapman began a search.

The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict next week.

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