A CONSULTANT who found a man dying from stab injuries put his finger into a hole in the victim's heart in a desperate bid to save him, a murder trial heard.

Jane Hunt

A CONSULTANT who found a man dying from stab injuries put his finger into a hole in the victim's heart in a desperate bid to save him, a murder trial heard.

Alain Sauvage, an A&E consultant at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, was cycling to the Hardwick Shopping Centre on his lunch break when he saw Bill O'Connor being treated by a paramedic.

The 20-year-old had allegedly been stabbed behind the shopping centre in Home Farm Lane in April last year.

In a statement read to Ipswich Crown Court, Mr Sauvage said he found Mr O'Connor in a state of cardiac arrest and performed open heart surgery with the help of an anaesthetist who also happened to be passing.

He said he inserted his finger into a hole in Mr O'Connor's heart and kept it there while he was transferred by ambulance to the hospital.

However, on arrival at the hospital, despite continued attempts to resuscitate Mr O'Connor, he was declared dead.

Before the court is Tony Holland, 23, of Desborough, Northamptonshire, who has denied murdering 20-year-old Mr O'Connor.

Holland has also denied murdering 44-year-old Danny Hathaway of Corby in February 2007.

The court has heard that Mr O'Connor had suffered eight stab wounds to his head, heart, eye and neck.

Holland, a traveller, is accused of carrying out the fatal attack in broad daylight.

Jurors have heard that Mr O'Connor met Holland for a pre-arranged cocaine deal but was allegedly attacked for “showing a fancy” to Holland's fiancé.

Yesterday, a 16-year-old friend of Bill O'Connor told the jury that he had heard him talking on his mobile phone and arranging to meet someone on April 27 last year.

He said the person Mr O'Connor was talking to had told him he wanted to meet him on his own.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be identified because of his age, said Mr O'Connor had told him to get a couple of bricks and to wait round the corner “just in case”.

He had then waited in a nearby alleyway while Mr O'Connor went into a car park next to the shopping centre.

Shortly afterwards the youth heard the sound of a van pulling up and parking. A couple of minutes later he heard someone screaming and had picked up some bricks.

As he ran towards Mr O'Connor he told the court he saw a man on top of him apparently punching him on the head and on the back and chest.

He said he shouted at the man to get off Mr O'Connor and the assailant ran away before driving off in a van.

It has been alleged that Holland murdered Mr Hathaway, whose body has never been found, as part of a plot to rob him of thousands of pounds.

The trial continues today .