A NEWPORT father accused of unlawful killing told a court yesteday he was acting in self-defence and feared his victim had a weapon.

Phillip Bartlett, 39, of Daniel Place, Newport, admits knocking 39-year-old Kevin Wilmott to the ground in Clytha Square on December 17 last year.

Mr Wilmott struck his head on the pavement and died 11 days later at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, from a brain injury.

Former heroin addict and alcoholic Bartlett denies unlawful killing and yesterday told Cardiff Crown Court he was acting in self-defence.

The court heard that Mr Wilmott was jealous and suspicious that Bartlett was having an affair with his girlfriend Dawn Gully.

Bartlett, a father-of-two, told police at interview that on the afternoon of the incident he feared Mr Wilmott was about to attack him.

"He looked like a madman," he said.

"He came towards me and I thought he was going to hit me."

Bartlett said he grabbed the carrier bag filled with cider cans from Mr Wilmott, fearing he was going to hit him with it. Then he pushed Mr Wilmott twice, knocking him over once.

He said: "Then he came towards me again with his hand in his pocket.. I thought he was going for some sort of weapon."

Bartlett told the court he struck Mr Wilmott to the jaw with a half-clenched fist, knocking him to the ground.

He said: "There was a big crack. It was horrible."

He saw blood on the pavement next to Mr Wilmott's head and realised he was unconscious.

He ran over to him and called emergency services.

Later, the court heard, Bartlett went to the Royal Gwent Hospital, where Mr Wilmott was conscious and apologised for what had happened.

But prosecutor Martyn Kelly put it to Bartlett that he struck him because of an ongoing row between the two, fuelled when Bartlett found out Mr Wilmott had called him a "junkie".

He said: "You punched him hard and laid him out."

He said Mr Wilmott, also an alcoholic, was five times over the legal driving limit at the time and that Bartlett was "substantially heavier and stronger" than his victim.

Proceeding