A murder trial jury heard of a brief frantic phone chat between defendant Andrew Hall and a friend after a confrontation with another man days after he allegedly killed Glenna Siviter.

The prosecution alleges that Hall repeatedly stabbed to death fellow drug user and long-term acquaintance Miss Siviter during an alleged robbery in her home, in Grimwood Avenue, Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough, in the early hours of Monday, December 11, last year.

Jewellery and some personal possessions, including family passports, were said to have been taken from 50-year-old Miss Siviter’s home in the incident.

Before her death came to light, Hall is also alleged to have attacked another man, with whom he had earlier shared crack cocaine, using two silver kitchen knives, in the victim’s home in Stainsby Road, Middlesbrough, in the early hours of Wednesday, December 15.

(Image: Terry Blackburn)

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the victim of that attack, a former trained boxer, managed to defend himself and usher Hall from the property.

The prosecution told the jury that the victim did not seek hospital treatment for his wounds, which were treated by his partner.

Prosecution counsel, Peter Moulson KC, told the court two days later, in mid-afternoon on December 15, police were alerted by the ambulance service to an incident reported to them moments earlier outside an address in Laycock Street, Middlesbrough, shortly after 3pm.

A man, who Hall had also shared crack cocaine with earlier, sustained several stab wounds to the head and neck in the attack in his car outside his home.

The injured man’s wife managed to pull her injured husband from the Honda Jazz car, which the defendant is said to have then driven away in, sparking a widespread area search by police.

Shortly after 4pm it was followed to an address in Barrass Grove, Brambles Farm, where Hall got out and entered the property, from where he was subsequently arrested.

He was taken to a police station and then to hospital, before giving a "no comment" interview.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

During examination of the Honda Jazz car, outside the address in Barrass Grove, two knives were recovered from the rear footwell, as well as the passports taken from Miss Siviter’s home.

Giving evidence on the second day of the trial, a female associate of Hall said she returned a missed call from him in mid-afternoon on Friday, December 15 and he told her he was, “having bother” before the phone went dead.

She said she could not make out what was being said in the background, but that it sounded like “chaos”.

Asked under cross-examination by defence counsel, Nicholas Lumley KC, if Hall appeared “frightened” when he told her in the brief call that he was "having bother", the witness replied: “A little bit.”

She added that she took from it that the inference was it was along the lines of: “It’s kicking off here”, or, “there’s bother going on here.”

The court heard this was shortly after the alleged attack on the man in his car on Laycock Street.

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During her evidence, the witness also spoke of the long-term friendship between the defendant and Miss Siviter, who were both drug users.

The 47-year-old defendant, of Thorntree Avenue, Middlesbrough, is accused of the murder of Miss Siviter and the attempted murder, plus the alternative in each case of wounding with intent, of both male victims of the subsequent alleged attacks.

He denies all the charges and the case continues tomorrow (Thursday, June 13).