Events leading up to the fatal stabbing of a man in a flat in Margate have been described to a jury.

Building site worker Slawomir Bartos was found unconscious and bleeding from a wound to his chest in a stairwell at flats in Market Place and was confirmed dead in hospital soon afterwards.

A trail of blood led to a bedsit in the building occupied by fellow Polish national Stanislav Dubis, 49, who denied murdering Mr Bartos, 46, when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court this week.

Edmund Fowler, prosecuting, said that on the evening of September 11 Mr Bartos was in Dubis’ flat, along with Mateusz Skotnicki, Dubis’ nephew and a friend of Mr Bartos and Jana Cernakova, 33, a Slovakian and a friend of Dubis.

“They had all been drinking and around midnight tensions began to develop between Dubis and Mr Skotnicki,” Mr Fowler told the jury.

“Mr Skotnicki pushed Dubis backwards and Dubis swore and said he was going to kill his nephew, Fearing he would get a knife, Mr Skotnicki fled.”

CCTV showed Mr Skotnicki leaving the flat, followed 16 seconds later by Mrs Cernakova who returned to her home in Victoria Road.

She told police that Dubis had told her he had just killed a man.

Mr Fowler told the jury: “Dubis and Mr Bartos were left in the flat. During this time we say Dubis took a knife and stabbed Mr Bartos. He left the flat, leaving a trail of blood until he collapsed in the stairwell.”

Police went to Dubis’ flat and found a blue knife with Mr Bartos’ blood on the blade. His blood was also on two rugs and on Dubis’ clothing.

Mr Fowler said: “Dubis told police he had had a fight with his nephew, was punched and left unconscious.

"He said that when he woke up he saw his nephew outside the flat and could not account for the blood. He denied using a knife against Mr Bartos and denied saying that he had killed him.”

Mr Fowler said Dubis worked at a tomato farm in Ash. Unemployed Mr Skotnicki, 23, and Mr Bartos, who worked on a building site in Margate, were homeless and shared a tent which was pitched at the town’s Winter Gardens. They often went to Dubis’ flat.

Mr Skotnicki went back in the building to look for Mr Bartos and found him lying on the floor covered in blood. He lifted his shirt and saw a wound and ran out to get help.

Mrs Cernakova phoned Dubis when she got home and she said he told her he had killed a person. He had been provoked and stabbed him with a knife which was small and blue.

Mr Fowler told the jury: “Mr Bartos received his injuries in the flat when only he and Dubis were inside. His suggestion that he blacked out was clearly a lie. Dubis offers nothing by way of an explanation.

"Mr Bartos received a wound to his heart and that is indicative of having an intent to murder.”

The trial continues.