Kaydon Prior leapt onto Harrison Tomkins, 25, and stabbed him in the chest, legs and back with a hunting knife in a “brutal and frenzied” attack in Crawley, on August 13, 2023.
In the trial opening at Chichester Crown Court jurors heard how Prior’s ex-girlfriend, Alicia Parrin, had ended their relationship but that Prior did not think it was over.
He took “violent and angry objection” to finding out she was out in Crawley with another man that night, the prosecution said.
The 23-year-old cut short a birthday night out in Chelsea, London, with his friend Jason Curtis, 22, and the pair travelled to Miss Parrin’s address in Arthur Road, Ifield.
Prior knifed Mr Tomkins, who tried to defend himself with his legs, and punched Miss Parrin, 20, at around 5.30am before leaving her flat, the court heard.
Prior and Curtis are both charged for the murder of Mr Tomkins.
Prosecutor Alan Gardner KC said: “The prosecution case is that Kaydon Prior armed himself with a hunting knife and, assisted by his close friend Jason Curtis, burst into Miss Parrin’s flat where the defendants knew they would find her and the man she was sleeping with.
“Harrison Tomkins had no chance. The sudden onslaught was completely unexpected.
“He may well have been asleep when the defendant burst into the bedroom.”
The prosecution allege Curtis “assisted and encouraged” Prior in his “murderous enterprise” including following Prior into the bedroom where he watched the knife attack.
Jurors heard how Prior dropped the knife in the bedroom and walked out of the building where he rejoined Curtis, telling him to burn his clothes as they escaped.
Curtis was hiding in bushes nearby when police arrested him, while Prior was found by officers later that morning in his flat with a bag of clothes stained with Mr Tomkins’ blood.
Jurors heard how Prior and Miss Parrin had been in a relationship and had been living together in Prior’s flat in Three Bridges from around March 2023.
Miss Parrin alleges Prior was violent and jealous in their relationship, and had told her on one occasion that he would kill her if she was ever with somebody else.
In another instance, Miss Parrin said Prior would sing a song to her with the lyric “I wouldn’t let you be with anybody else.”
In July 2023, Miss Parrin got her own flat in Arthur Road, in a “step towards” breaking up with Prior, and on August 11, she told him their relationship was over.
The court heard how Miss Parrin and Mr Tomkins had got to know each other by working at the K2 leisure centre, and things had got “flirtier” between them in a couple of weeks leading up to August 12, when the pair decided to meet at a work colleague’s leaving do.
They were spotted at a pub and club in Crawley town centre by a mutual connection, Ella Stanford, who messaged Curtis on Snapchat that Miss Parrin was out with friends.
Curtis replied: “Kaydon says to keep an eye out for her and see what she is doing.”
When Curtis was told that the same man was “trying it on” with Alicia, he replied that they were coming to see Ms Stanford, and the pair travelled from London to Three Bridges in the early hours of the morning.
Prior and Curtis met Ms Stanford in Crawley, hanging around outside the club Medusa with laughing gas, before getting a taxi to Miss Parrin’s flat.
READ MORE: Men deny murdering Harrison Tomkins from Haywards Heath
Ms Stanford described Prior as “tense” and “angry” and she believed Prior was planning to “scare” the man and maybe beat someone up, the prosecution said.
Prior, 23, Hazelwick Avenue, Three Bridges, and Curtis, of Lairdale Road in Lambeth, south London, both deny charges of murder and manslaughter of Mr Tomkins.
The prosecution opening continues.
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