A FATHER was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife after a late-night party turned into a drunken brawl, a court heard.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Darren Liddy was stabbed twice with a knife at a party held at the home of his sister, Sharon, in June last year.

The court heard how an argument between Mr Liddy and his sister's partner, Peter Topping, escalated after a night of drinking.

The row started when Mr Liddy, a father-of-four, and Topping, 27, from the Pennywell area of Sunderland, began chatting to another young woman.

Toby Hedworth, prosecuting, said: "The defendant raised his arm with a knife in his hand above his head and, during a struggle on the floor, Mr Liddy was stabbed twice.

"Both wounds were six inches deep, one was to the right shoulder and damaged a large vein, and the other was to the left shoulder."

The court heard how Mr Liddy and Leanne Watson headed home where he reached his front gate and collapsed. An ambulance was called but nothing could be done to save him.

Topping, of Swifton Drive, Sunderland, denies murder. The trial continues.