Teenager died in street from stab wound following altercation
MURDER TRIAL HEARS TWO VERSIONS OF FATEFUL EVENTS IN CITY
A STABBED teenager died in the street as neighbours, police officers and paramedics desperately tried to save his life, a court has heard.
Hassan Jama, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene in Cedar Road, Highfields, Leicester, in the early hours of July 18 last year.
Ishaq Hassanjee, 18, is accused of murdering the 19-year-old with a single knife strike which “pierced his heart”.
Opening the prosecution case at Leicester Crown Court, Michael Duck QC said Hassanjee assaulted Mr Jama in Bartholomew Street following an argument.
The injured teenager ran the short distance to neighbouring Cedar Road, where he collapsed.
Mr Duck told the court: “There were very significant efforts made at the scene to save this young man.
“Those efforts were initially made by people who lived in the area, they were made by police officers who arrived and they were made by paramedics and then a doctor. Those efforts were ultimately futile.
“The reason for this was straightforward. Mr Jama had been stabbed through the chest by this defendant.
“The blood loss was such that those attempts at the roadside were futile and he died shortly after the infliction of that injury.
“It will be an agreed fact in this case that Hassanjee accepts he was in possession of a knife in the early hours of Saturday, July 18, and has acknowledged that by pleading guilty to a charge which reflects that.
“Part of the background of this case – and tragically many others – is the possession of knives and their use.
“There appears to be a belief by some young people that carrying knives is acceptable, whether as a fashion item or as a show of strength.
“There is always a risk of someone being prepared to use them at the drop of a hat.”
Mr Duck said both teenagers lived with their families in Bartholomew Street and “were known to each other.”
“It is equally clear it was quite common in this area for groups of youths to congregate and it is quite plain there were tensions between members of those particular groups.”
Earlier, Hassanjee had reportedly been injured in an incident which had resulted in him going to Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment.
No details of that incident were given in court, but Mr Jama had not been involved, Mr Duck said.
He said: “Hassanjee came away from the LRI after treatment and went back to the area of Bartholomew Street and remained out in the street rather than go in home.”
He later told police he was waiting for his brother to come back with the house keys as he did not want to disturb his mother.
“What we know is that immediately before the infliction of the fatal injury, Mr Jama came out of his house and walked towards where the defendant and his brother were standing and there was an argument between them,” Mr Duck said.
“The prosecution say that during that argument, Ishaq Hassanjee took the knife and struck Mr Jama in the chest.
“We say there was no lawful reason for doing that. He had a choice that night. Faced with, as he asserts, the drawing of a weapon, Mr Hassanjee had the option of getting out of the way, to run.
“He drew his weapon and used it instantly.”
Hassanjee was arrested shortly after police officers arrived, Mr Duck said.
Officers later found the knife which he had allegedly used to stab Mr Jama hidden in a shed nearby.
A second knife was found near where Mr Jama was lying. Mr Duck said: “It may well be that he was in possession of a knife.”
In police interviews, Hassanjee said he had stabbed Mr Jama because he feared he was about to attack him or his brother.
The first prosecution witness was a man who came to his door when he heard an argument in the street.
The man said he saw Hassanjee deliver what he initially thought was a punch to Mr Jama’s chest.
However as the injured teenager lifted up his top, he saw he was bleeding heavily, he told the court.
Hassanjee’s legal representative, Leonard Smith QC, questioned the witness’s evidence that Mr Jama had not acted aggressively.
Mr Smith claimed Hassanjee had acted in self-defence after Mr Jama moved suddenly toward him and his brother with a knife in his hand. He said Mr Jama had lunged toward the defendant with a knife, threatening “if I catch you, you are a dead man walking” before striking out. “He (Hassanjee) did not say anything. He did not have time. He stabbed Mr Jama because he was under attack.”
The trial continues.