Parents of three murder accused had texted them
ORTON CASE JURY IS TOLD OF MESSAGES TO TRIO IN HOURS AFTER TEENAGER’S DEATH
HE mother of a 16-year-old boy accused of murdering Benjamin Orton told her son she was worried about him being out after hearing a teenager had been killed, a court has heard.
A flurry of text messages and calls between the three teenagers accused of murdering Benjamin and their worried parents happened in the hours after his death, a jury was told.
The teenagers are on trial accused of the murder of Benjamin Orton, 17, who died from stab wounds and was found in an alleyway in Swadlincote in June this year. They all deny the charge.
Many text messages were read out in court, with the parents asking what had happened the night before in The Pipeworks, Swadlincote.
The 16-year-old, who is now 17, later revealed to his mother that it was Benjamin Orton who had died.
She later told him: “Now you can see why I am so worried about you. It can be very dangerous out there.”
Her son is accused of stabbing Benjamin 13 times, and stabbing his 20-yearold friend five times in the neck and back, who has been left paralysed, the court heard.
They are accused of killing the former Pingle Academy pupil, from Castle Gresley, and also the attempted murder of his friend, in Wragg’s Passage next to the Odeon Cinema, in The Pipeworks retail park in the town, in June 12.
One of the youths who was 17-yearold at the time also denies a charge of assisting an offender by disposing of a phone, a knife and clothing. He was later seen on CCTV fist-bumping a coaccused after the attack, prosecutor Peter Joyce QC told the jury.
The 16-year-old has admitted a charge of possession of a knife.
All three maintain they were acting in self defence, the court has been told.
On the fourth day of their trial at Derby Crown Court, the jury heard from a 17-year-old girl who was friends with Benjamin Orton and his 20-yearold friend. She had been in contact with them up until the alleged attack as they were on their way to her house.
However, after the incident at 10.32pm she was unable to get hold of them again, with prosecutor Peter Joyce QC telling the court: “It was 2.16am and she was still trying to get hold of them not knowing that Benjamin had been dead for some hours, and his friend is now in the hospital.”
The girl later gave evidence in court and was shown an Instagram video she had posted in which Benjamin can be seen holding a knife. The court was also told Benjamin and others had robbed another person of a coat.
The jury heard from pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton who conducted a postmortem examination on Benjamin the day after his death.
He went through details of the 13 stab wounds found on his body. Two of the stab wounds pierced his lung and heart which led to his death.
He said two other stab wounds, to Benjamin’s right arm towards the shoulder and the left elbow had exit wounds, meaning the knife went through and out the other side.
The court has already heard that one of the 17-year-olds allegedly held Benjamin as he was being stabbed to death. This defendant says he did not realise Benjamin was being stabbed, the jury was told.
Mr Joyce asked Dr Hamilton: “If you were being stabbed and being held would that have a degree of force on the knife.” He was told: “Yes”.
The trial continues.