Man stabbed at Warner Bros Studios called wife fearing he'd die

Darren Langford, 44, was attacked by co-worker Johnny Walker following a row between the two stagehands over a cup of tea on the set of Anne Hathaway's film The Witches in 2019.

Walker, of Buckingham Road, Borehamwood, was found guilty of wounding Mr Langford with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm on Thursday, March 18, following a trial at St Albans Crown Court.

The court heard that in the days leading up to the attack, there was said to have been “bad blood” between the pair over extra work Mr Langford was taking at the studio which caused problems for Walker who was a chargehand.

On Wednesday, June 19, at around 12.30pm, both men, along with other stage builders, were in an outside yard at the studios where a film set was being constructed.

The incident happened at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden (photo South Beds News Agency)

Refreshments had been laid out for the men who were taking a break and Mr Langford went to help himself to the last cup of tea.

Prosecutor James Lachkovic said Walker, who already had a cup of tea, took the last cup and sat down with both cups by his side.

The jury heard it prompted a furious argument between the two.

Mr Langford, a father of five, told the court he had known Walker for around 18 months at the time as they had met while working on another film at the Shepperton Film Studios.

As he went to get himself a cup of tea and told the jury: “I approached the stage and could see John almost glance over his shoulder at me with a tea in his hand and grab the last remaining tea. I thought this is getting childish.”

He added: “I should have walked away. I told myself don’t rise to it.”

He continued: “I thought while everyone is here I am going to ask him what his problem is. I said ‘John, why have you taken my tea.’ He said ‘I have not taken your tea, I am saving it for the driver.”

Mr Langford told the court he tried to point out the driver was not present and hadn’t been all morning.

Darren Langford (photo South Beds News Agency)

“I then said ‘Why are you being such a c... to me, and he stood up with a very angry face and said ‘because you are a c...  You are a grassing c...”

He told the court the defendant was even challenging him to go round to the back of the stage and fight him.

“I had no intention of fighting him. I mentioned his age and my age. I said we are not at school - grow up,” said Mr Langford.

He added: “He said ‘I am 54 and I could still iron you out’. I said ‘You probably could, but we are not at school.”

The court was then told how Walker began to walk towards the other man with a “snarl on his face”.

A fist was then pressed into Mr Langford's left cheek.

Read more - Warner Bros film set worker stabbed colleague in the neck during tea-break

“I said ‘Go on, get it over with, hit me', and with that he said ‘I am going to cut that grin off your face'.”

Mr Langford “almost froze” on hearing the word ‘cut’ and it was then he could see the blade of a Stanley knife protruding from the defendant’s hand.

He said: “In my head I was thinking this has gone way too far and I pleaded with him to put the knife down. I was saying ‘You are going to lose your job John. Just put the knife down' but he had gone - his eyes were wild.

“All the time he had got that snarl and he was saying 'I am going kill you, I am going to cut you'."

Mr Langford added: “He lunged so quickly and I dodged back and felt it hit my throat. I was in sheer panic mode.”

He went on: “My fingers went into the cut, so I knew it was a bad cut. I was in a panic thinking I was going to bleed out.”

He told the jury of his thoughts at the time, saying: “That’s it I am done for; you don’t survive having your throat cut.”

It was then he said he decided to phone his wife and tell her he loved her, adding: “I had accepted I was going to die.”

Mr Langford said he feared the main artery in his neck had been severed and when a paramedic turned up to treat him he asked him to inspect the wound.

He told the jury: “He said I can see it - it’s not been cut.”

Walker, 56, was told he will be sentenced in May to allow his defence team to obtain medical reports because he suffers from anxiety and depression.

Johnny Walker (photo South Beds News Agency)

Recorder Stephan Lennard told him a substantial sentence was however inevitable.

He told Walker “You have been convicted by the jury of a very serious offence.”

He was granted bail while he awaits sentence.