A former barman accused of trying to murder his pub boss has told a jury he never wanted the landlord to be harmed.

Giving evidence on his 30th birthday, Miguel Batista, who is known as Alex, said he had no desire to hurt David Brown, who ran the Cricketers Inn in Meopham.

The prosecution has claimed that Portuguese Batista and his brother in law Craig Allen attacked Mr Brown on Bonfire Night after getting fired from his job at The Cricketers.

That day the two had been buying items from stores, including clothes and a BBQ lighter.

Batista told how he came to Britain in 2013 and has the words ‘pain’ and ‘gain’ tattooed on his fingers.

He later met a Cara McDonald, who also worked at the pub, and the couple married in July 21: “It was perfect at the start although we had ups and downs throughout the relationship.”

In the days prior to the incident on November 5, the couple had split when Batista was told by his wife the marriage was over. He had also lost his job at the pub.

He told the court: “I accept my behaviour was unacceptable, I now wish I could go back in time and I would tell myself a lot of things.”

Batista, who denies attempted murder, told how he believed Mr Brown had come between him and his estranged wife.

He was ordered to leave his flat at the pub and spent a night on a bench before sleeping in his wife’s car parked outside the pub.

Batista said he was feeling “extreme sadness” after losing everything and spent a night at the home of Mr Allen, who he thought was the only the person to offer help.

He told Maidstone Crown Court how one of his brothers gave him a Rambo II First Blood knife - which the prosecution claimed was used during the attack.

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Batista added he also had a silver knife with Nazi-like markings but denied he had any interest in the Fascist party.

On Bonfire Night he and his brother-in-law met up and visited a number of supermarkets to buy clothes which were used to disguise the pair as they returned to the pub.

He claimed his brother-in-law was “agitated but not aggressive” and as they entered the pub Mr Allen told him to swap jackets.

“When I asked why he just said ‘trust me’,” he added.

The two men shared cocaine on the day and en route he took a spade which he carried inside the pub, where Mr Brown was in his room.

Batista claimed that he used the spade to defend himself after the landlord and Mr Allen began arguing.

He denied he wanted to or encouraged his brother-in-law to kill the landlord and told the jury at one point Mr Brown held a knife to his chest during the argument.

Batista said his brother-in-law pulled him back on the bed and he rolled away uninjured claiming Mr Allen “had saved my life.”

He added: “When I first saw Mr Brown I saw red. I could only see one of his shoulders and his head. I was terrified as I suffer from anxiety and over-think at times.”

He said that as Mr Brown and Mr Allen – who later died from his injuries – fought on the floor he left the premises with the landlord’s wallet which was later found nearby.

The jury is expected to go to deliberate today (fri)