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I SANG HARE KRISHNA TO WILD-EYED KNIFEMAN
Beatle in desperate attempt to fight off frenzied attacker
BEATLE George Harrison yesterday told how, with a split second to save his life, he tried to stop a crazed knifeman by shouting Hare Krishna chants.
But he was stabbed five times after Michael Abram broke into his house believing he was on a "mission from God" to kill the legendary guitarist.
Abram thought he was possessed by Harrison, a court heard.
The unarmed star took on the knife-wielding Abram to stop him getting to his wife, Olivia.
But he was over-powered by the wild-eyed man who attacked him with the knife before trying to strangle her.
Olivia managed to throw a lamp down on to Abram's head but he fought back and, dripping with blood, tried to chase her just as police arrived.
The Harrisons' nightmare started when Abram, 34, broke into their 34-acre Friar Park estate near Henley in Oxfordshire in December last year.
The star has never spoken about the family's ordeal but yesterday, in a written statement to a jury at Oxford Crown Court, he described the attack that left him near death.
He said: "I have no doubt this person had the intention of killing me and my wife. There were times I truly believed I was dying."
Harrison, 57, explained how his wife woke him to say she had heard a window smash.
He went downstairs where he found two windows broken and a statue of George and the Dragon smashed.
George also smelled cigarette smoke and knew there was an intruder in the supposedly heavily-guarded house. He recalled: "I retreated hurriedly to the bedroom, shouting at my wife someone was in the house.
"I saw a person run from the kitchen. He stopped in the centre of the room and looked towards me.
"He started shouting and screaming. I could see he held a knife in his hand and a stick I recognised as part of the statue.
"I decided to shout back at him, to confuse and distract him. I shouted, 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna'.
"He rushed towards the bottom of the stairs and looked up towards me. I attempted to go into another room but I couldn't turn the key.
"I took the split-second decision to tackle the man because once he passed me, both my wife and my mother-in-law were available.
"My first thought was to grab the knife and it knocked him off balance. We tumbled to the floor. I was fending off the blows with my hands."He lost grip of his stick. He was on top of me, stabbing towards my upper body.
"I was aware of my wife attacking him and striking him about the head with a poker. He turned his anger towards her and chased her.
"I again tackled him, placing my hand around the blade. He struck out blindly.
"I could feel the strength draining from me. I vividly remember a thrust to my chest. I believed I had been fatally stabbed.
"My wife struck this man around the head with a lamp. He stumbled over. I took hold of the knife and wrenched it from his grasp."
As Harrison tried in vain to use Abram's knife to stab him, the attacker found a sudden surge of energy and grabbed the lamp.
He rained down blows on the star's head while Olivia tried to get away - just as police arrived at the scene.
Harrison suffered massive injuries including a punctured lung and still has difficulty breathing. Olivia, 52, choked with emotion as she told she too believed they were going to die
When she became aware of the intruder, she immediately dialled 999.
Olivia said: "I saw my husband looking very pale. He was staring at me in a really bizarre manner. I have never seen my husband look like before.
"I was knocked backwards and the man was up against the wall and I was on my hands and knees by his feet.
"I reached up and tried to grab his testicles but just got a lot of trouser fabric.
"There was blood on the walls, blood on the carpet. This was the moment I realised we were going to be murdered.
"I turned around and grabbed a lamp. I brought it down on the man's head as hard as I could.
"My husband said 'don't stop, hit him even harder', so I hit him again.
"After I hit him over the head the man jumped up and faced me. I had the lamp in my hand and was swinging it at him.
"The cord was too long and he ripped it over my head and gashed my head.
"He began wrapping the cord around his hands and I thought he was going to strangle me. I threw the lamp at him and ran out of the room."
After the hearing, she was comforted by the couple's 22-year-old son, Dhani.
A police surgeon diagnosed Abram with a psychotic illness, probably paranoid schizophrenia.
Simon Mayo, prosecuting, said there was no dispute Abram who attacked the couple and intended to murder them.
But the jury had to decide whether he was sane or insane.
Abram, of Huyton, Liverpool, denies two charges of attempted murder.
The case continues.
Being from England apparently confused the Ex-Beatle as to the true meaning of prince Valiant and the Singing Sword...
Beatle in desperate attempt to fight off frenzied attacker
BEATLE George Harrison yesterday told how, with a split second to save his life, he tried to stop a crazed knifeman by shouting Hare Krishna chants.
But he was stabbed five times after Michael Abram broke into his house believing he was on a "mission from God" to kill the legendary guitarist.
Abram thought he was possessed by Harrison, a court heard.
The unarmed star took on the knife-wielding Abram to stop him getting to his wife, Olivia.
But he was over-powered by the wild-eyed man who attacked him with the knife before trying to strangle her.
Olivia managed to throw a lamp down on to Abram's head but he fought back and, dripping with blood, tried to chase her just as police arrived.
The Harrisons' nightmare started when Abram, 34, broke into their 34-acre Friar Park estate near Henley in Oxfordshire in December last year.
The star has never spoken about the family's ordeal but yesterday, in a written statement to a jury at Oxford Crown Court, he described the attack that left him near death.
He said: "I have no doubt this person had the intention of killing me and my wife. There were times I truly believed I was dying."
Harrison, 57, explained how his wife woke him to say she had heard a window smash.
He went downstairs where he found two windows broken and a statue of George and the Dragon smashed.
George also smelled cigarette smoke and knew there was an intruder in the supposedly heavily-guarded house. He recalled: "I retreated hurriedly to the bedroom, shouting at my wife someone was in the house.
"I saw a person run from the kitchen. He stopped in the centre of the room and looked towards me.
"He started shouting and screaming. I could see he held a knife in his hand and a stick I recognised as part of the statue.
"I decided to shout back at him, to confuse and distract him. I shouted, 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna'.
"He rushed towards the bottom of the stairs and looked up towards me. I attempted to go into another room but I couldn't turn the key.
"I took the split-second decision to tackle the man because once he passed me, both my wife and my mother-in-law were available.
"My first thought was to grab the knife and it knocked him off balance. We tumbled to the floor. I was fending off the blows with my hands."He lost grip of his stick. He was on top of me, stabbing towards my upper body.
"I was aware of my wife attacking him and striking him about the head with a poker. He turned his anger towards her and chased her.
"I again tackled him, placing my hand around the blade. He struck out blindly.
"I could feel the strength draining from me. I vividly remember a thrust to my chest. I believed I had been fatally stabbed.
"My wife struck this man around the head with a lamp. He stumbled over. I took hold of the knife and wrenched it from his grasp."
As Harrison tried in vain to use Abram's knife to stab him, the attacker found a sudden surge of energy and grabbed the lamp.
He rained down blows on the star's head while Olivia tried to get away - just as police arrived at the scene.
Harrison suffered massive injuries including a punctured lung and still has difficulty breathing. Olivia, 52, choked with emotion as she told she too believed they were going to die
When she became aware of the intruder, she immediately dialled 999.
Olivia said: "I saw my husband looking very pale. He was staring at me in a really bizarre manner. I have never seen my husband look like before.
"I was knocked backwards and the man was up against the wall and I was on my hands and knees by his feet.
"I reached up and tried to grab his testicles but just got a lot of trouser fabric.
"There was blood on the walls, blood on the carpet. This was the moment I realised we were going to be murdered.
"I turned around and grabbed a lamp. I brought it down on the man's head as hard as I could.
"My husband said 'don't stop, hit him even harder', so I hit him again.
"After I hit him over the head the man jumped up and faced me. I had the lamp in my hand and was swinging it at him.
"The cord was too long and he ripped it over my head and gashed my head.
"He began wrapping the cord around his hands and I thought he was going to strangle me. I threw the lamp at him and ran out of the room."
After the hearing, she was comforted by the couple's 22-year-old son, Dhani.
A police surgeon diagnosed Abram with a psychotic illness, probably paranoid schizophrenia.
Simon Mayo, prosecuting, said there was no dispute Abram who attacked the couple and intended to murder them.
But the jury had to decide whether he was sane or insane.
Abram, of Huyton, Liverpool, denies two charges of attempted murder.
The case continues.
Being from England apparently confused the Ex-Beatle as to the true meaning of prince Valiant and the Singing Sword...
