A MAN sobbed as he stressed to a jury it had never been his intention to stab his cousin to death in a drunken fight in Brierley Hill.

Glen Elvin, aged 26, said his row with Christopher Harm got out of control after their drinking session at The Waterfront and name calling quickly turned to threats.

The father-of-three said he had a history of fighting with his older cousin as they were growing up and he realised he was in for "another beating" as they clashed on a car park in Engine Lane.

Elvin told the five man-seven woman jury: "I grabbed the knife from the van in a last ditch attempt to say 'Back off.' I did not want to fight anymore."

He said 28-year-old Mr Harm kept stepping back adding: "The last time he did not move. I hit him. I never intended to make contact. I was horrified. I stabbed him by accident."

Elvin who had travelled to the Black Country with Mr Harm and two other men to put up posters advertising a travelling circus admitted he could be short tempered.

But he went on: "Violence would always be the last resort. I am not a fighter."

He said he could not dispute the fact he had stabbed Mr Harm and agreed he knew he would have to spend time in custody as a result of his actions.

"It wasn't a complete accident but I know in my head and heart that I did not intend this. It was a drunken fight that got out of control. I loved him and I will have to live with what I did for the rest of my life."

Elvin, from County Durham, has denied murdering Mr Harm who was stabbed through the hard and died despite desperate attempts by paramedics to keep him alive.

The jury had earlier been told by an eye witness to the incident, which was caught on CCTV, how bickering became more serious as the two men faced up to each other.

Alex Marshall who employed the two cousins to advertise the circus said Mr Harm was a "handy lad" while he claimed Elvin was all mouth.

He said he thought their argument had been settled when Mr Harm pointed out that Elvin had a knife and they had both tried to calm him down.

"Chris was pleading with him not to do what he ended up doing," said Mr Marshall. "Glen was angry and we could not talk him down. "

He said that Elvin and Mr Harm got close. Elvin was swinging, Mr Harm tried to block him and he was then stabbed in the chest. "I went over to him I lifted his shirt and I saw he was bleeding heavily from the wound."

The prosecution has alleged Elvin chased after Mr Harm with the knife. He was the aggressor and he made the decision to deliver what was a powerful, single blow with the knife.

The trial is is continuing.