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I acted in self-defense, says man accused of killing England fan
A 31-year-old man accused of stabbing a young England fan to death in Lisbon during the Euro 2004 football finals said in an interview published on Monday that he had acted in self-defense.
A 31-year-old man accused of stabbing a young England fan to death in downtown Lisbon during the Euro 2004 football finals said in an interview published on Monday that he had acted in self-defense.
Vadim Abramov, who moved to Portugal from the Ukraine three years ago, told Portuguese daily 24Horas he stabbed 28-year-old Stephen Smith after the England supporter grabbed cigarette papers from his hand and ran off.
"I chased him and was attacked. By him and other English supporters," he told the paper.
"I became very nervous and pulled a pocket knife to defend myself. I only wanted to protect myself and I never had the intention to kill him," added Abramov, who said he had been drinking vodka and beer before the incident.
Police however say Abramov is a known pickpocket who stabbed Smith in the heart on June 22 during a botched robbery attempt which took place during early morning celebrations for England's 4-2 win over Croatia.
The win gave England a place in the quarter finals of Euro 2004.
Abramov, who was detained shortly after the stabbing, denied being a pickpocket.
"I never robbed anyone, nor would I ever want to rob anyone," he said. "It is all a lie, I am not the person they say I am."
Abramov, who is unemployed, faces a maximum jail sentence of 25 years if found guilty of murder.
Smith, of Wolverhampton in central England, had been in Portugal since the start of the European Championship on June 12, staying in the southern Algarve resort region which many England fans used as a base during the finals.
Tens of thousands of job-seeking Ukrainian immigrants have settled in Portugal in recent years, many of them lured by the construction boom which was triggered by the preparations for the Euro 2004 finals, but a recession has damaged their employment prospects.
