The convicted drug dealer held the knife to his flatmate’s neck as he protested that “they were friends”
A convicted drug dealer turned violent following a furious row with his flatmate concerning his 13 dogs. Matthew Lee pulled a “zombie knife” on his victim after he complained over the mess that his pets were making.
This led to the man’s finger being sliced open with the gruesome weapon during a struggle before he was attacked again with a stick. The bizarre incident saw his attacker throw away the second chance which he had been given by a judge after he was caught with a stash of cocaine and cannabis for onward supply.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Richard Harnoczi was evicted from his home in September 2024 and sought assistance from Lee’s dad. This led to him moving in with the 31-year-old defendant, of Bala Street in Anfield, being required to “clean the house” and feed and look after the occupant’s 13 dogs “in return for bed and board”.
But Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, described how, in the lead up to December 29 last year, their relationship became “strained”. On the day in question, Mr Harnoczi left his bedroom in order to check on the dogs and “found the house was a mess”.
This led to him calling Lee on the phone “in a raised voice” while having a panic attack, “telling his friend how fed up he was with constantly cleaning the house” and stating that the condition of the property was “getting worse”. His flatmate then confronted him in his bedroom, pushing him and shouting at him “for scaring the dogs by raising his voice”.
Lee told Mr Harnoczi that he “needed to pay money and clean the house everyday when he woke up” during the course of ensuing argument. But he protested that he was unable to do so as he was claiming Universal Credit and already paying close to £100 a month in order to stay at the address, stating that he would “leave soon”.
While Lee then left the room, he subsequently returned in possession of a “zombie-style knife” and threatened to stab the victim. The weapon was then held to Mr Harncozi’s neck as he protested that “they were friends”.
He was ultimately able to push his assailant out of the room and disarm him, sustaining a cut to his finger during the melee. Lee however returned to the bedroom once more carrying a stick, which he swung at the complainant before leaving again, although he then “returned and calmly enquired about the location of dog bags”.
His criminal record shows seven previous convictions for nine offences, including kidnap and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2012. He was also handed a two-year imprisonment suspended for two years in February this year for possession of cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply.
Lee admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, making threats with a bladed article and breaching a suspended sentence order. He was jailed for three-and-a-half years by Judge Brian Cummings KC and given a seven-year restraining order.
