Jason Cooper, the man charged with murdering his former partner in a town centre knife attack at Denbigh, told a murder trial jury that he in the lead up the attack he was in the worst place he had ever been in his life.

Cooper said that he was drinking too much and while he did not remember much of the attack he said he did not form an intention to harm Laura Stuart.

He remembered bits and pieces only, he explained in evidence on day six of his trial.

The defendant said he had been drinking in town that day, returned home and left in possession of a knife.

Cooper said that he remembered that and said he was very emotional, very drunk and thinking of harming himself.

He held a knife to his throat, he was going to kill himself, he had enough, he said.

The relationship he had with Laura had been a toxic one, he said.

Both drank too much and he alleged that she had been seeing other men.

The defendant said he recalled sending a message on his phone that night that he intended to kill himself but said he did not intend to harm Laura.

At the scene he said that plainly he had indicated to witnesses that he had said that he would murder her and now had done it - but he did not recall that.

When he left the house but he was not looking for Laura, he said.

“I just remember wandering about – I don’t know how long for – and was possibly messaging people,” he said in answer to questions from his own barrister Patrick Harrington QC.

Mr Harrington said that the time came when he attacked Laura by stabbing her and when David Roberts intervened he was stabbed too.

Asked what he remembered, Cooper said he remembered coming across and he remembered stabbing them, but he couldn't say how many times.

Mr Harrington asked why he had done it and he replied: “no idea, no idea.”

He said that he had not set out to commit murder and did not set out to attack someone he knew.

The barrister said people had described him smiling and offering the knife to another man but the defendant said that he did not remember doing that.

He could not remember getting rid of the knife or the phone.

Mr Harrington said that witnesses had described him as being calm and asked him if he was.

Cooper replied “no idea.”

He did not remember repeatedly saying in custody that he wanted to kill himself The prosecution say Cooper brutally stabbed his former partner with a kitchen knife after he lay in wait for her as she returned home from The Golden Lion and attacked a man who tried to protect her.

Cooper. 28 of St Hilary's Terrace, denies the murder of Laura Jayne Stuart, 33, and wounding David Roberts with intent to cause him GBH, in the early hours of August 12 last year.

The trial, before Mr Justice Simon Picken, is proceeding.