A YOUNG Hampshire man was stabbed to death as he lay in bed with his girlfriend by a drug addict who broke into the house, a court heard.

Ben Harvey said he thought he was dreaming when he stabbed William Rudiak to death after entering the house through an open window in the early hours of the morning, it was alleged.

The 26-year-old, from Chandler’s Ford, was stabbed as he lay next to his girlfriend at her home in Andover, a jury at Winchester Crown Court heard.

The court was told that at 2.57am Harvey entered the home of Alexandra Taylor, Mr Rudiak’s girlfriend, through an open window and armed with a large kitchen knife.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said: “He broke in armed with a large kitchen knife and whilst there, having entered by an open window, fatally stabbed William Rudiak.

 

“[He] went up the stairs and fatally stabbed William Rudiak.

“William Rudiak in that early hour of the morning was fast asleep, he lay in bed next to his girlfriend.

“It was during the course of him [Mr Rudiak] being fatally stabbed Alexandra Taylor woke up not because William had been stabbed but she felt someone biting her cheek.”

Harvey, 22, fled the scene at Turin Court, leaving the knife in Miss Taylor’s bedroom.

Ms Maylin said that Ms Taylor had carried out resuscitation in a bid to save her boyfriend’s life with the instructions of a 999 call handler.

In a police interview, Miss Taylor said that she saw “blood everywhere” and called 999, adding: “He looked so scared. I couldn’t help him.”

The court heard that Harvey then drove to another address in a village close to Andover after the incident, where he attempted to sexually assault a teenage girl.

The prosecution said that he “burst” into the victim’s room had tried to remove her pyjama shorts and in doing so “smothered her face with his hand”.

The jury were told Harvey had an addiction to cocaine and cannabis and had run up a debt of about £11,000.

She added that his father, Raymond Harvey, contacted police later that morning and told them that “his son might have killed someone”.

She added that he had also told officers that his son had a drugs problem with cocaine and cannabis dating back three years.

Ms Maylin said that the defendant had visited the area of Turin Court three times in the days before the fatal attack, looking for drugs, although the prosecutor said that the occupants had not been involved in supplying drugs to him.

 

In the hours before the stabbing Harvey had bought and taken drugs from a dealer in Andover.

After the news broke about the death of Mr Rudiak, of Winchester Road, Chandler’s Ford, Harvey told his girlfriend and parents that he thought he had been dreaming about stabbing somebody.

And speaking to his girlfriend, after she discovered that he had been at Turin Court in the early hours of the morning through black box records on his insurance for his Volkswagen Polo, Harvey said: “I don’t know, it was just a random house and I thought it was a dream.”

Adam Feest QC, defending, said that Harvey’s actions are not disputed but it is argued with he had intent to commit the offences.

He added: “He [Harvey] had taken a quantity of alcohol, cannabis and cocaine.

“The effect and or the combination of the drink and drugs had a completely different effect on him than he had experienced previously. He has very little recollection of the following few hours.”

Harvey is facing charges of murder and trespass with intent to commit sexual assault on June 11 last year. He denies the charges.

He pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, after the prosecution altered the earlier charge of aggravated burglary.

The trial continues.