A MAN who plunged a knife into his friend's chest and claimed he'd been acting in self defence has been found guilty of murder.

Mark Harley Jones, of Chester Road in Wrexham, admitted causing the death of Kyle Walley, aged 19, but denied murder.

During the course of the trial, Mold Crown Court heard the pair had been drinking at the victim's Rhosymedre flat ahead of the European Championship football final.

Late that afternoon, alarming footage began to appear on Jones' Snapchat account, depicting an injured Mr Walley, the defendant appearing to stamp on the victim's lifeless body and Jones' bloody hands.

When he was called to give evidence on Tuesday, Jones, 20, told the court he had been acting in self defence when Mr Walley had attempted to attack him with a knife in the kitchen of his flat.

The Leader: Mark Harley Jones (Image: North Wales Police)Mark Harley Jones (Image: North Wales Police) (Image: NWP)

Jones claimed to have grabbed the blade, injuring his hand in the process, and turning it around before striking the victim once to the chest.

However the court heard Mr Walley had two wounds; one which indicated a blade had struck his collarbone, and the fatal wound which had seen a blade pierce his heart.

Jones, who was 18 at the time, claimed he'd been drunk and "psychotic" on the day of the incident and that he'd not called an ambulance because he panicked.

Make sure you don't miss the top court stories of the week by signing up to our free court newsletter

The Leader:

Jurors were asked by John Philpotts KC, prosecuting, to take the defendant's assertions about his various mental health difficulties with a 'large pinch of salt,' branding his version of the events a "complete fabrication."

Andrew Ford KC, defending, pointed to previous evidence given by witnesses in the trial as to the victim's temper.

He told the jury it was "not farfetched" to believe Mr Walley had 'snapped,' nor was his client's explanation of self-defence "fanciful or an unrealitic possibility."

After receiving a summary of the trial's evidence from the Judge, Mr Justice Stephen Eyre, the Jury retired to deliberate on the verdict just before 2.40pm on Wednesday.

They returned shortly after 12.15pm today (Thursday), returning a unanimous guilty verdict on the charge of murder.

Jones is to be sentenced on Friday by Mr Justice Stephen Eyre, who told him: "The sentence on you will be life imprisonment.

"I will determine tomorrow what the minimum term you have to serve is."