A man who has admitted stabbing an Irishman to death asked police “how much trouble am I in?” after he was arrested while covered in blood.

Darryn Madigan (38) of Kingsbury, London, has denied he murdered John Martin (45) on August 7th, 2016,but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Martin, originally from Donore, Co Meath, was stabbed in the early hours of the morning after he returned home from a night out with his girlfriend.

At the second day of his murder trial in the Central Criminal Court in the Old Bailey, the jury heard that Madigan had been arrested at the scene shortly after 3am. Martin, who was a next-door neighbour of the accused, died after being stabbed in the heart in front of his home.

A police officer who took evidence swabs from Madigan said that there was blood on his face, hands, head, arms and feet when he saw him in the station where he was brought after the arrest.

“How much trouble am I in?” Madigan said to Detective Constable Michael Paton, the jury heard. The officer told Madigan he did not know. “I did not kill him, I was protecting myself. I fell down the stairs on him,” Madigan then said to the officer, according to evidence read out in court.

The jury has heard that Martin had been out in pubs in Wembley with friends for the evening and returned to Doreen Avenue, Kingsbury at 2.50am in a taxi, having had a lot to drink. He went into Madigan’s front garden – the two lived beside each other – and started to shout abuse at the top window. In response, Madigan is said to have taken a chef’s knife from the kitchen and rushed out to confront Martin.

Martin died at the scene by the time the emergency services arrived after he was stabbed in the heart.

When interviewed initially by police, Madigan said he had fallen down the stairs on to Martin and was defending himself. He later said he had stabbed Martin by accident when the two had been struggling.

Madigan’s defence is that he was scared of Martin and claims that he did not mean to stab him. The prosecution say that, since he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, he accepts it was not an accident and that he intended to stab Martin.

On the night in question, neighbours described a man with his top off charging at Martin, and Madigan threatening to kill the dead man, the jury has been told.