The defendant in a murder trial has told jurors he was “acting in self-defence” and “wasn’t thinking straight” and would never have intentionally hurt his victim, who he claimed was his “friend of 19 years”.

Mohammed Ali Khan took to the stand and told the jury he and victim David Read, 50, had been taking heroin and crack cocaine together on the night of June 6, before he fell asleep and woke to find Mr Read setting upon him, attacking him, and asking him for more drugs.

He said Mr Read was on top of him and he found a pair of scissors on the floor and began “striking him all over” in an attempt to get Mr Read off him.

Before he left the witness box he addressed Mr Read’s family, telling them: “I am sorry to his mother and family.

"He is, he was my friend. I would like to go to his grave. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sorry.”

Earlier this week, the jury at Preston Crown Court was told Khan, 36, had allegedly killed Mr Read in the early hours of June 7 with a hammer and pair of scissors.

READ MORE: Murder trial told Mohammed Ali Khan killed David Read in Blackburn

The prosecution said he then later tried to cover up his crimes by changing his clothes and discarding items, including Mr Read’s mobile phone, his own blood-stained clothes, and a hammer.

Mr Read, 50, was found dead in his flat by his mother, Mary Read, at around 11.20am on June 7.

Khan was arrested on June 9 and charged with Mr Read’s murder on June 12.

He denies the charge of murder.

On Wednesday, Khan’s barrister, Lee Karu KC questioned his client as he took to the witness stand.

He asked him about his life, when he started taking and dealing drugs, and how long he had known Mr Read.

Khan said: “I started taking drugs in 2017 after I broke up with my girlfriend.

“I got into debt and to pay back my debts I started dealing. I went to prison and got into debt again when I got out and then I got back into smoking heroin and crack and was dealing again.

“I knew David Read for a long time. He lived at the back of my house. I’ve known him for 19 years.

“I started talking to him and he asked to smoke some weed with me. Then we started smoking together and then we got closer and started smoking crack and heroin together.

“He phoned me when he wanted to score and then we would smoke together at his house, and he became quite a good friend.”

Khan explained he’d never had a disagreement with “his friend” before and was at his house on the night of June 6.

READ MORE: David Read murder accused 'admitted guilt to sister' in call

He went on: “We were chilling. I went to get some drugs from Bastwell about 2-3pm. Then at 6-7pm I was at St James’ Road in the Whalley Range area waiting for the dealer to come to get more drugs.

“I got about £700 worth, but I paid a bit less than this, £350, cocaine and heroin.”

Khan said he took the drugs to Mr Read’s before midnight after hiding them in his buttocks due to fear of police stopping and searching him.

Once there, Khan said they smoked and injected the drugs and just “chilled”.

He said Mr Read had given him £130 for his share of the drugs, and that night they took them all, before Khan went to The Nile takeaway and bought two meals and a bottle of Coke.

He continued: “After I injected, I smoked both together in a snowball and fell asleep.

“David woke me up, it was about 8.30am. He was slapping me. His arm was on top of me, pinning me down.

"He was telling me to get the rest of the drugs, to get them out of my backside, but I didn’t have any because we’d smoked it all.

“He was attacking me, saying, ‘I know you have more, get them out’.

“I had never seen him like that before. He changed, he wanted more drugs.

“He was attacking me on the sofa, he’s a strong guy, he was three times my size, attacking me.

“I felt a pair of scissors and I just started defending myself to get him off me, I was attacking in every which way I could.”

Khan, motioning with his hands to describe to the jury how he brandished the scissors, then went on to say once Mr Read had got off him, he tried to run to the door, but it was locked, so he went into the bedroom.

He told the jury this is when Mr Read followed him with a hammer and began attacking him on the bed.

He said: “He had a hammer in his hand. I was really skinny at that time, 59kg, I’m about 75kg now, and I went flying as he came in the room onto the bed, and he came and started attacking me with the hammer.

“I tried grabbing the hammer and managed to get it and then I am just striking him everywhere, striking him again and again. At this moment in time my life was in danger.

“I wasn’t thinking at the time, I was fearing for my life. Why was he doing this, he was my friend.

“I wasn’t thinking about blood, I was thinking about my own life. He went for my throat.

“He eventually let go and we slipped to the floor and there was a scuffle. I ran into the living room, he was alive on the floor.

“He wasn’t moving much though, he was on the floor, I was panicking.”

Khan said he went to grab his stuff from the flat but managed to wash his hands before he left, as Mr Read was still lying on the floor.

He said: “I was panicking, he attacked me. I’d looked after him all night, I was scared and panicking, and I thought, I am going to go to prison for this, so I got rid of the clothes, but it’s him that’s attacked me.

“He went crazy, I had never ever seen him like that before.”

Khan was asked by James Hamilton KC in cross examination why during the phone calls with his sister while in custody, he didn’t tell her he had killed Mr Read and was acting in self-defence.

He said: “I didn’t want to tell them. I didn’t want to get them worried. I took advice from my solicitor. I was scared for my family, I didn’t want to go to prison.”

Mr Hamilton said: “If you didn’t want to go to prison for what you say he did to you, why didn’t you say that to your sister?”

He answered: “I was scared, I was panicking. Who’s going to believe me, I am a drug addict, that’s why I am in prison now, it was only self-defence, but who’s going to believe me?”

Mr Hamilton continued: “You know that everything you did to him proves that you have done it and now you have to come up with this self-defence.

“The thing is, you were not placed in any danger by David Read, you have completely made all this up.”

Khan, of Preston New Road, denies murder. The trial continues.