An Old Bailey jury are deciding whether the man who fatally stabbed a young father in the heart did it intentionally or whether he was fighting for his life.

Adrian Young, who was also known as Andre, died two hours after being knifed by Jordan Glasgow in a knife fight in Cromwell Road, Thornton Heath, on August 26 last year.

From April 13: Petty dispute may have been cause for fatal knife fight in Thornton Heath where Adrian Young died, Old Bailey murder trial hears

The pair had been arguing as the 24-year-old was angry that Mr Glasgow had seemingly ignored him in the street when he had said hello a few days before.

What started off as a verbal argument escalated into one with them punching and kicking each other.

They then hit each other with sticks before it escalated further.

Mr Young, 24, went into his girlfriend's house and despite the attempts of her family armed himself with a bread knife and went back outside.

The defendant, who denies murder, came outside from a friend's house armed with a fruit knife.

Bernard Tetlow, defending, told the court he had not wanted to take a knife but his friend gave it to him to protect himself.

In his closing speech Bernard Tetlow, defending, said his client had run away when he saw the size of Mr Young's bread knife but tripped over.

The 27-year-old was on the ground with Mr Young crouching over him and stabbing him.

He was bleeding heavily from wounds in his back and shoulder blade and Mr Tetlow said that as he managed to get up he was stabbed in the arm.

Mr Tetlow said: "Jordan didn't try to fight him with that small knife.

"He tries to run away.

"Things now get completely out of control.

"The violence is now on a completely different league than it was earlier on.

"He was happy to take him on with a fist fight but no more than that.

"He didn't want any part of it.

"In terms of trying to run away he didn't get very far and was being stabbed and had to defend himself.

"He was fighting for his life."

During the week long trial some of the prosecution witnesses spoke about seeing Mr Glasgow waving his knife around in the street and goading Mr Young into coming out and finishing off the fight.

Mr Tetlow told the jury to be careful with this evidence as it was coming from people who had a personal connection to the victim.

Instead the defence's case is that Mr Glasgow had the fruit knife in his pocket and only pulled it out as he got up from the floor after being stabbed by Mr Young.

Mr Tetlow added: "It has been suggested that the injuries to Mr Glasgow are somehow trivial.

"In the heat of the moment you don't think to yourself 'he's not stabbed me that hard'.

"He has been stabbed through two layers of clothing and you are out in the street battling through your life."

Mr Glasgow was arrested at his home in Silverdale, Sydenham, two days after the fatal fight.

The court heard he was in Thornton Heath that day to meet a friend and buy some cannabis.

Judge Peter Rook told the jurors Mr Glasgow has two convictions for public order offences and one for common assault.

They were told the victim had convictions for violence, harassment and for carrying a knife in a public place.

The prosecution's case is that they both intended to cause each other serious harm as they armed themselves with knives and were goading each other on.

Mark Dennis, prosecuting, told jurors the defendant had opportunities to get himself away from the violence and he cannot claim what he did is self defence.

Summing up the evidence given by the defendant in the witness box during the trial, Judge Rook said: "[Mr Glasgow said] I had no intention of killing or causing serious harm to Andre. He had a young baby and I never wanted this to happen.

"When I saw Andre approaching with a knife my natural instinct was to run away.

"I was thinking clearly I have to get away.

"I have never stabbed anyone before in my life and I did not know the knife had gone into his body."

The jury heard Mr Young walked away from the stabbing making the defendant think it was not that serious.

Mr Young tried to get into his girlfriend's house after he had been stabbed but she did not let him in as she feared he would bring the fight inside.

He collapsed in the arms of police officers at the edge of Cromwell Road and Whitehorse Road.