A MAN inflicted at least 13 stab wounds upon another man as he knifed him to death, a trial has heard.

Giuseppe Vittorio Zerega is accused of manslaughter in relation to the death of Fabio Menegon.

The 31-year-old also faces two charges of attempted murder.

These accusations relate to events at an address in Eldon Place, Westbourne, in the early hours on June 19 last year.

The prosecution opened its case at Winchester Crown Court yesterday, January 28.

Prosecuting, Charles Gabb told the court Mr Menegon, 45, had been asleep when Zerega used a knife to stab him repeatedly.

“When his body was examined there were at least 13 separate stab wounds to his body,” said Mr Gabb.

The jury was told that two of these wounds would have proved fatal on their own, with these located around the left eyebrow and through the liver.

Mr Gabb described what happened as an “absolute tragedy” for all concerned. He added: “There are no winners, simply losers.”

In the days before the attack Zerega had been concerned he was being drugged, that someone was going to kidnap him or the Mafia were after him and that he was being watched or followed, said Mr Gabb.

The prosecutor said there was no evidence for any of these fears being reality.

At around 2am on June 19, 2020, Zerega is said to have looked out from a first floor window and seen a car with lights on in the road. He became concerned someone was coming to get him, the jury heard.

A series of text messages and phone calls to police followed, however, the call handler was unable to fully ascertain the defendant’s issue, said Mr Gabb.

The court heard Zerega has said that after phoning police he heard a single female voice which told him to “attack Fabio or kill Fabio”.

He then proceeded to take the blade from a knife block in the kitchen and stab the sleeping Mr Menegon.

An altercation with others at the address followed before the defendant exited through a window.

Police and ambulance were called to the scene.

Video played in court from police body-worn camera showed officers finding the defendant sitting on the floor between a shed and a wall at the rear of the property.

The footage showed Zerega telling an officer he had stabbed a woman and he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He received treatment for a wound to his abdomen before being taken to Poole Hospital.

Outlining issues in the case from the defence’s perspective, Alisdair Williamson QC said the case was about “how acutely ill” Zerega was at the time, adding that he was suffering from a “recognised paranoia psychotic disorder”.

“On June 19, Giuseppe Zerega was profoundly unwell,” said Mr Williamson QC.

The barrister told the jury that the assessment of a doctor was that the defendant had been “unwell for at least seven to 14 days”.

The court heard Zerega’s defence against the accusations is on the basis of criminal insanity.

Mr Gabb told the jury the burden to prove that this was the case is on the defence counsel.

Zerega, who was living in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, at the time of the incident, denies all charges.

The trial continues.