Distressing 999 Call Heard in Murder Trial After Man Stabbed

Ashley Francis is on trial. They say he had “poor mental health.” He stabbed Mervyn Moulton, age 81, in his neck at Mervyn’s home in Hockwold while Mervyn was sitting in his living room. Ashley, age 27, denies the murder charge.

The court heard that Ashley spoke to psychiatrists, saying he heard voices and believed he needed to kill his grandfather to stop the voices. Jurors listened to a 999 call made by Jackie Moulton after the stabbing on February 29.

Jackie told the ambulance dispatcher that her grandson stabbed her husband’s neck, saying it was “pouring with blood” and she couldn’t stop the bleeding. Jackie gave the address to the dispatcher and pleaded, “Get here quickly.”

The dispatcher then asked when the stabbing happened, and Jackie replied, “It happened just now.” The dispatcher asked if the attacker was still there. Jackie said he was in the kitchen but told Francis to “get out the way,” after which he came back into the lounge.

The call handler then asked if there was more than one wound, and Mrs. Moulton said, “He’s dying for goodness sake.” The handler said she would give instructions for stopping the bleeding, so Mrs. Moulton used a towel and pressed the wound. “It’s not stopping, it’s spurting out,” she said, and Mrs. Moulton kept asking them to hurry.

The call handler kept talking to her and told her she was doing well, urging her to reassure her husband. Mr. Moulton mumbled during the call, and at one point, he asked where Francis was. She said he was in the kitchen and she would not let him hear.

Paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for life-threatening injuries. He died on March 7 after a “catastrophic bleed.” Jurors heard statements from Francis’ mom, who said her son suffered mental health issues that had gone on for years.

She said his house seemed “poisonous” and made him sick, so he often stayed with his grandparents. He was not sleeping at home and slept in the shed sometimes, as he thought the dryer was “poisoning him.”

He took the dryer to the dump and worried the roof was poisoning him too, fearing asbestos in the home. Francis wrote a letter to their landlord, deeply worried about their Whittington Hill house.

Francis also worried he was being followed, and sometimes, he sat with a knife with the lights off as he “kept look out.” He went to Iceni Academy and often helped Mr. Moulton cut the grass. There had been a fallout before the attack.

Her father said “I’m done with him” after Francis wanted to go home at 5 am. While there was tension, Francis said nothing. Her statement revealed she felt “very torn” and was devastated by her father’s loss, but tried to support her son. She said he was a “happy child” who loved the outdoors and fishing. The trial continues.