A man accused of killing a father outside his home in Sale Moor has told a jury that he has been 'framed' for a murder he did not commit.
Tyrone Patrick, 33, denies killing Mike Grimshaw, who was stabbed to death outside his home on Royton Avenue on July 20, 2017.
The 34-year-old was rushed to hospital after receiving a 12cm stab wound to the neck, but later died from his injuries.
It is alleged by the prosecution that Tyrone Patrick stabbed Mr Grimshaw following a row between the defendant and Mr Grimshaw's fiancee, Michelle Pook.
As his defence case begun at Manchester Crown Court on Monday afternoon, Mr Patrick told jurors he had been 'framed' for the death of Mr Grimshaw.
He told the court that it was instead another male present - Aaron Robinson - who had inflicted the fatal stab wound upon Mr Grimshaw.
Mr Patrick said he believed he had been set up by residents on the Royton Avenue estate after his regular cocaine use had caused him to become 'a bit of a nuisance.'
The court heard that in the summer of 2017, Mr Patrick had developed what he described as a 'mental addiction' to cocaine.
When asked by his barrister, Stephen Meadowcroft QC, how he would describe his behaviour during the summer of 2017, Mr Patrick said: "Not very attractive - probably due to the drugs which I didn't appreciate at the time but do now."
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He confirmed that by July, he had been consuming two to three grammes of cocaine every other day and had been signed off work after being diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
Mr Patrick said he had known Aaron Robinson for 12 years but had not seen much of him until May 2017, when the pair began spending time together.
He told the court that he and Mr Robinson would regularly take cocaine when together.
On the evening of July 20, Mr Patrick claims that he and Mr Robinson, along with another friend, had been at a female's property in the Sale Moor area.
In a statement previously read to the court, the female said she had asked the group to leave and stated that Tyrone Patrick had appeared 'more agitated' than the other two.
The group left the property and wandered the streets of Sale Moor before eventually arriving on Royton Avenue.
Mr Patrick told jurors that he knew the area and got on with 'some' people, but that not everyone liked him.
They came across a man well-known in the area called 'Jibbs' - otherwise known as James O'Reilly, claimed Mr Patrick.
"I may have asked him for a cigarette but I couldn't say for certain," he said.
"He might have said something like f*** off or something along those lines, but I just brushed it off and carried on walking down the road."
It was at this point that, Mr Patrick says, Mike Grimshaw's fiancee Michelle Pook became involved - telling the group to leave Mr O'Reilly alone.
Mr Patrick said: "I just thought, what is she getting involved for? And I may have used bad language towards her.
"I didn't think anything of it at the time and just carried on walking."
He told the court that as the group reached where Ms Pook had been standing, she called for her fiancee to come out.
Mr Patrick said he had seen Mike Grimshaw 'a few times' round the local area but did not know him personally.
He said that as Mr Grimshaw came out his house, Mr Patrick had said something to agitate him, but 'didn't think anything of it' and carried on walking down the road.
"I was being a loud mouth, probably just showing off but I didn't want a fight," Mr Patrick said.
"As I walked off and turned around I could see he [Mike Grimshaw] had come out of his property, and I thought: what have I got myself into here.
"I didn't want any trouble."
Aaron Robinson and the other male were nearby at this point - standing around a metre apart from each other, claimed Mr Patrick.
"He [Mike Grimshaw] began getting closer and closer and I remember seeing Aaron Robinson step in and strike him with his right hand," Mr Patrick said.
"Mike staggered back and put his hands up towards his throat.
"I was shocked but I didn't really know the extent of what had happened - I just thought Aaron had thrown a punch."
Mr Patrick told the court that it was Aaron Robinson who fled the scene and claimed that he later saw Mr Robinson with a knife.
He said that after learning about Mr Grimshaw's death he decided to 'lay low' and went to stay in Blackpool the following night, in what he described as a 'prearranged trip'.
Mr Patrick confirmed that he had contacted a solicitor who arranged for him to hand himself into police, but he chose not to for 'fear or repercussion'.
He was not arrested by police until September 2017.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Rob Hall told the jury of a number of Mr Patrick's previous convictions, including possession of a 'flick' knife in 2003 and an incident which involved holding a person at gunpoint in 2006.
Mr Hall suggested to Mr Patrick that his cocaine use had caused him to throw his weight around and bully people he came into contact with.
Mr Patrick confirmed he had been 'a bit of a nuisance' around the estate, which he believes may have played a role in the number of witnesses testifying against him.
When asked by Mr Hall if he believed being a 'nuisance' warranted reason to frame someone for murder, Mr Patrick replied: "I don't know why they framed me for a murder I have not committed."
The trial continues.
