A MAN accused of attempted murder told a friend he stabbed a victim five times in the back, a court has heard.

Two brothers are standing trial at Basildon Crown Court charged in connection with the attack in Valkyrie Road, Westcliff, in the early hours of Saturday, October 30, 2021.

Curtis Butler, 23, has denied attempted murder and having an article with a blade or point and his brother, Paul Butler, 22, has denied a charge of intimidating a witness.

Yesterday, the court watched a video interview of a woman who told police she’d spoken to Curtis Butler about the attack.

She said: “We were all out at the Lamb And Lion in Westcliff and I heard someone say someone had been stabbed and that’s when the panic kicked in.

“I called Curtis and said to him please tell me you did not do that, and he said he couldn’t lie to me.

“He said he stabbed the man five times in the back. I couldn’t tell anyone as it was so confusing.

“Curtis mentioned doing it in a group chat some time before. When I heard about it in the pub I was worried it was someone from our group.

“I thought Curtis had done it as he joked about it. I was crying as it was a stupid thing to do - why would you do that?

“He said he laughed at the victim as he threw a woman towards him. He laughed because the victim was using a girl as protection.”

Police and ambulance crews arrived on the scene and took the victim to Southend Hospital where he was treated for stab wounds.

The court previously heard that the victim, a man in his late 20s, was walking along the road with a friend when a man wearing a balaclava approached and attacked him.

The witness added: “I talked to Curtis about it a few months later and told him it was a s****y thing to do and that I was going to talk to the police.”

Both Curtis Butler, of Great Gregorie, Basildon, and Paul Butler, of Royston Avenue, Southend, deny the charges against them.

The trial continues