A man was murdered when a knife was plunged to the hilt into his back during an argument as he celebrated his birthday, a jury was told.

Guests at a house party in Bradford for Oskars Luksevics' birthday had been downing vodka and wine and were drunk when the victim was fatally stabbed by fellow Latvian Nikolajs Bobrovs, Leeds Crown Court heard.

A friend of the dead man was also stabbed in the incident but was fortunate to escape with minor wounds, prosecutor James Goss, QC, told the jury on the first day of the trial yesterday.

Bobrovs, 25, who had an interpreter in the dock with him during the proceedings, had been in the UK for less than three months and had lived at the house, in Parsonage Road, West Bowling, for only four weeks, when Mr Luksevics died on November 24 last year.

He has pleaded not guilty to murder and wounding with intent.

Mr Goss said Mr Luksevics, who had a bedroom at the house, had celebrated his 41st birthday with a small party in the basement kitchen. A good deal of alcohol was taken and people were drunk.

Mr Goss said an argument broke out between Bobrovs and another man, Martins Ozolins. Mr Luksevics intervened and tried to separate them, but Bobrovs picked up a large kitchen knife and threatened them.

The prosecutor said: "The fighting continued and ended with Martins Ozolins being stabbed on the top of his shoulder and Oskars Luksevics being fatally stabbed in the back."

He said that when the knife was forensically examined it was found to have penetrated the full length of the 19 and a half centimetre-long blade to the handle into the victim's body.

The knife had gone into the chest cavity and pierced the right lung and the heart, causing bleeding from which he died.

He had also suffered two less serious knife wounds to the forearm and shoulder.

Mr Goss said a post-mortem examination had shown there were associated incisional notches on two of the dead man's ribs, indicating that a severe degree of force had been used to inflict the stab wound. It had been a deliberate stab in the back, the pathologist found.

The victim was found in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. He was given emergency resuscitation by paramedics and taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary, where further attempts to save his life proved fruitless and he was pronounced dead.

Mr Goss said the defendant admitted he was involved in an incident of violence but claimed he was attacked. He had not deliberately stabbed anyone but had acted with reasonable force in self defence.

But Mr Goss said: "The prosecution allege that the defendant was acting unlawfully when he used the knife to stab Martins Ozolins and then Oskars Luksevics and that he intended to kill or do really serious harm to Oskars Luksevics, and he intended to do some really serious harm to Martins Ozolins. Because Oskars Luksevics died, we allege this has to be murder."

He said Mr Luksevics had come to England in early 2005. He had a bedroom at the house. There were also bedrooms on three floors for two women and three other men, including Bobrovs.

He said Mr Luksevics collected the rent money from the tenants and did any necessary repairs and everyone respected him.

Mr Goss said that during the fight the defendant had left the kitchen and returned wearing fingerless weightlifting gloves. He was throwing plates at Mr Ozolins who threw one back. Both men removed their shirts.

No-one saw how Mr Luksevics was stabbed but he had sustained a number of wounds before stepping back and falling to the floor fatally wounded.

When the defendants' bedroom was searched a large bloodstained kitchen knife was found in the roof space. The blood had a DNA profile that matched that of the dead man.

The trial continues.