Murder defendant talks of ‘D11’ gang
A TEENAGER on trial for allegedly murdering Benjamin Orton has told the court about a gang called D11.
The 17-year-old – who cannot be identified due to his age – was questioned by defence barrister Richard Atkins QC.
Along with two other defendants, also aged 17, he denies murdering Benjamin in Wragg Passage, near Swadlincote’s Odeon cinema, on June 12.
Mr Atkins asked him: “I want to ask you about gangs. On June 12 were you a member of a gang?” “No,” he replied.
Mr Atkins continued: “Have you seen videos on social media of people wearing red bandanas?” “Yes,” the defendant said. “Why are they wearing red bandanas?,” Mr Atkins asked.
The defendant responded: “It represents a gang called D11.”
He went on to say he and 17-yearold Benjamin had previously been friends and had stopped speaking, but there was no grudge between them.
The youth also revealed before going to the cinema with his codefendants, he had left a bag in the bushes in Wragg Passage.
It contained a cannabis grinder and a smell-proof box and the trio went back there so he could pick it up after the film.
It was then, he said, they spotted Benjamin and his friend, Joe Mcmullen, walking towards them.
He told his barrister: “I saw Ben had a knife in his hand. I was scared, I didn’t know what to do.”
The court was told he swung a bag at Benjamin twice, knocking the knife out of his hand.
However, the youth told the court he did not see the knife fall and believed Benjamin was still armed.
He said: “I saw Benjamin’s arms swinging about several times. I thought he was trying to stab me.”
He was asked by his barrister: “When you saw (one of the other defendants, then aged 16) come over to Benjamin, what did you think he was doing?”
He answered: “I thought he was punching him. I didn’t know he was stabbing him.”
The youth later told the court he saw Benjamin fall and saw blood, but assumed he had cut himself on his own knife. Thinking Benjamin and Mr Mcmullen were not seriously hurt, he said, he ran away.
He later told the court he and his codefendant “fist bumped” later on as a form of goodbye.
His barrister asked: “So it was not a ‘celebration’ of what you had just done?” He said no.
Asked why he got rid of his clothes in woods in Albert Village, he said: “I had seen a show on Netflix where a young lad had killed someone and his parents pick him up and they burnt his clothes.”
During cross-examination, prosecutor Peter Joyce QC asked the teen why he moved forward toward the two victims.
He said: “Because (the 16-yearold) was taking a step forward and I wasn’t going to leave him on his own. I thought if I ran away they would catch me and stab me.”
Mr Joyce continued: “At the time Benjamin was being stabbed you carried on hitting him.”
The youth answered: “Yes, but at the time I believed he was (only) being punched (not stabbed).”
The three defendants are charged with murdering Benjamin, who suffered 13 stab wounds before he died.
They are also charged with the attempted murder of Mr Mcmullen, 20, who was stabbed five times to the neck and head and suffered lifechanging injuries.
One of them is facing an additional charge of assisting an offender by disposing of a knife, a phone and items of clothing.
They deny all those charges. However, the defendant aged 16 at the time of the incident has previously told the court he stabbed Benjamin and Mr Mcmullen in selfdefence. He admitted possession of a knife.
The trial continues.