A SECURITY guard who is on trial for the manslaughter of a shoplifter was fearful he was going to be stabbed, a court has heard.

Sabeur Trabelsi has been charged after Jason Page, 52, died following an incident outside the BP petrol station on Chalfont Way in Earley on March 31, 2021.

Mr Page had been caught stealing meat and beer from the Marks and Spencer’s store round the corner with another man, Oswald Walker.

READ MORE: Shoplifter 'punched' by guard died from 'catastrophic and unsurvivable' injuries

The 44-year-old guard chased after him to retrieve the stolen goods. The prosecution’s case is Trabelsi ‘punched’ Mr Page leading to him to fall to the ground and suffer from fatal head injuries that caused his death.

However, Trabelsi has told Reading Crown Court at the start of his defence cause on Tuesday (April 25) that he had ‘slapped’ Mr Page, rather than punch, due to fear he was going to be stabbed with a needle.

He said when he was alerted to the shoplifters he ran and caught up with the men.

“I grabbed the first one [Mr Walker], I took the beer off him,” he told the jury. "Then Mr Page stopped, I ended up between the both of them.

“Mr Page says to Mr Walker that he's by himself, he's not going to do nothing, then he says, 'Shank him, shank him'.”

Read live updates from the first day of the defence case here: LIVE UPDATES: Defence case starts in Jason Page trial

Trabelsi said that Mr Walker had hit the back of his head before M&S duty manager Elliott Cripps, 27, of Ashbourne Crescent, Taunton, caught up with Trabelsi to help.

Cripps is also on trial charged with perverting the course of justice, along with Trabelsi, for allegedly lying about how Mr Page came to fall to the ground – namely alleging he had fallen as he tried to run away.

Trabelsi said he followed Mr Page and ‘moved him to the grass’ due to the traffic in the road. He said himself and Cripps had managed to get the bag of meat from Mr Page but alleges the man started swearing at them.

He said:  "[Mr Page] called us names and then mentioned the needle. He said, 'I will stab you,' twice and then he makes a step forward.

"He said, 'I will stab you with a needle'. His hands went into his jacket pocket. I came in front to protect Mr Cripps and I watched Mr Page and what he was doing. 

Read the start of the trial here: Shoplifter 'punched' after stealing meat

"It was so fast, everything happened in a couple of seconds. In my head I thought I was going to be stabbed straight away. I just wanted to move him away.

"I slapped him to move him away - I wanted to scare him."

The trial continues.