AN 86-year-old man has relived the night his partner of 30 years was stabbed to death by an intruder.
Norman Busby, a retired police sergeant, told a murder trial that he was stabbed three times in the chest when he opened the front door of his home after hearing someone knocking.
Mr Busby told advocate depute Bruce Erroch, prosecuting, he opened the door slightly and saw a young man who proceeded to barge his way into the house in Raeswood Drive, Crookston, Glasgow.
The pensioner told the High Court in Glasgow: "He said: 'Have you got your car keys, have you got your f***ing car keys.'
"I said 'what's wrong, have you bumped my car?' I then said I didn't give my car keys to anyone and turned to shut the door.
"He pushed the door hard, bashing it, and I staggered back. He had a knife in each hand. He immediately stabbed me several times in my chest."
Mr Busby was giving evidence at the trial of Paul McManus, 19, who denies murdering 51-year-old Isabelle Sanders and attempting to murder Mr Busby at their home on April 9.
The court heard that Ms Sanders, who had been upstairs in bed, come to the top of the stairs having heard noises and saw Mr Busby lying on the floor in the living room.
Mr Busby said: "Isabelle screamed and ran down the stairs and she saw him standing there. I was lying on the floor covered in blood.
"She saw him stealing stuff and she tried to push him out the front door and he had his knives and he stabbed her several times. She fell to the ground covered in blood. I reached out but she was dead."
Mr Busby demonstrated to the jury how the intruder, who had a knife in both hands, stabbed his partner.
He said that he was unable to describe the intruder other he thought than he was in his 20s.
He told the court he spent three or four weeks in hospital after the attack.
Mr Busby was asked by Mr Erroch if this had been a very traumatic incident and replied: "Very much so."
He went on: "This was personal. I dealt with a lot of things in the police - dead bodies and so on - but this was a personal thing and very traumatic."
Defence lawyer Gordon Jackson, QC, asked Mr Busby if there could have been two intruders and he replied: "No, I'm pretty sure it was just the one man, but I can't be 100 per cent."
The jury heard that Ms Sanders worked in the Bank of Scotland's international division. She was involved in a lot of church work including serving in a cafe at an old folks' home and was a member of a hand bell ringing group.
Mr Busby said: "She was a good Christian."
The trial before Lord Armstrong continues.
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