The forensic pathologist investigating the death of a young father yesterday told a court how just one of the 23 stab wounds had proved fatal.

Speaking on the fourth day of the trial on Thursday, Dr. John Oladapo Obafunwa explained how 31-year-old Dean Antoine Young had died from massive blood loss and internal bleeding after being stabbed in the back and through a lung with a nine-inch kitchen knife.

The Supreme Court heard Dr. Obafunwa attempt to reconstruct the events of last October 9 when Mr. Young and defendant Randy Burgess came to blows.

Burgess, 34, of Cashew City, St. David's, denies murder. In statements read to the court, he claimed that when he picked up the knife and struck Mr. Young he was acting in fear and self defence.

The fight took place in the kitchen of Burgess's then girlfriend Trina Todd, in Border Lane, Pembroke, soon after 2 a.m.

Mr. Young is alleged to have rushed to the aid of Miss Todd, who was his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, after telephoning and hearing her screams.

The court heard earlier how Burgess was said to be punching and choking her because she had wanted to end their relationship. It was also alleged there had been bad feeling between the two men for some time, with Mr. Young making threats towards Burgess.

When Mr. Young arrived at the apartment he is said to have bolted straight into the house, where he met Burgess.

Dr. Obafunwa said he believed the two men had been face to face and very close to each other when the first stab wounds were made to Mr. Young's back.

The doctor used a live model and a rubber knife, provided by the defence, to demonstrate to the jury how the knife had entered his body.

Naming each of the 23 wounds using letters from A to W, he went on to explain how he thought the back wounds may have been caused first, followed by two stab wounds to Mr. Young's left shoulder and arm, which ripped through muscle and would have led to the deceased losing total use of that limb. He said: "The knife wounds to the back could have been caused in rapid succession.

"The wounds to the left arm meant he would not have been able to use it.

"The victim probably then started to ward off further attacks with the right hand. This resulted in defence wounds to the right hand and a wound to the right thigh.'' The court heard earlier how after the attack Mr. Young had staggered out of the house and into the driveway where Miss Todd was standing. He eventually collapsed in the street.

Burgess then ran from the house, still clutching the weapon, and made off up Parsons Road. The court heard how he dialled 911 on his cell phone and admitted that he had stabbed a man and then asked for an ambulance to be sent.

He then spoke to his brother before managing to wave down a passing Police car and being taken to the Police station.

Defence barrister Mark Pettingill and barrister Richard Horseman, who was assisting him, also demonstrated for the court how they believed the fight had taken place.

In all but one aspect, they totally agreed with the doctor's sequence of knife wounds.

He said he believed Mr. Young had grabbed hold of Burgess, turning him around.

It was that point, he said, that Burgess lashed out with the knife attacking Mr. Young's left arm.

But he disagreed that the wounds to Mr. Young's right hand were defence marks.

Randy Burgess