Keith Tasker

Keith Tasker died from a knife wound to the chest following a row with a man at his flat.

A man was charged with his murder, but the charge was later dropped after it was heard that there was not enough evidence to show under what circumstances he had been stabbed and an open verdict was returned.

The man said that Keith Tasker had run onto the knife.

Keith Tasker was a homosexual and had lived in the flat in Ullet Road, a converted Victorian house, with his lover.

The other man had lived in another flat in the same building with his girlfriend.

On Christmas Eve Keith Tasker and his lover as well as his brother and the man from the other flat and his girlfriend and a friend of the man all had a drink together in Keith Tasker's flat.

They had sat about drinking until about midnight when there was a violent row between Keith Tasker and the other man during which Keith Tasker received a five-inch stab wound in the kitchen of the flat.

Keith Tasker's brother said that at around midnight he noticed that the man's friend was staring at Keith Tasker and said that the atmosphere suddenly changed. He said that the man's friend had been wearing boots with studded fasteners and that he took one of the studded straps off and started to mess about with it, which he said seemed to upset Keith Tasker.

He said that a bit later Keith Tasker and the other man started arguing and Keith Tasker then asked him why he had brought his friend along. He said that Keith Tasker was ranting and raving because he was frightened.

He said that a bit later on he saw Keith Tasker and the other man fighting in the hallway, saying that Keith Tasker had a piece of wood and that he then got between them and split them up.

Keith Tasker's brother said that he then punched the man and then saw that he had a knife in his right hand. He said that he then punched and kicked the man and then went off to the bathroom.

However, he said that when he came back, he saw Keith Tasker lying on the floor with blood on his shirt.

The man said that Keith Tasker ran at him and had fallen on the knife.

The pathologist said that Keith Tasker died from haemorrhage associated with the stab wound.

At Keith Tasker's inquest, the coroner said, 'In the absence of clear cut evidence I am unable to say where the truth lies', and an open verdict was returned.