Knife attack was ferocious and teen took hours to die, court told
A PROSECUTOR has recounted the “ferocious” attack which ended a teenager’s life as the trial of seven defendants accused of the boy’s murder draws nearer to its conclusion.
The alleged members of an “armed and deadly gang” are accused of killing Cardiff teenager Harry Baker, who was found in Barry Intermodal Terminal on August 28, 2019.
The 17-year-old was stripped, and covered wounds.
Leon Clifford, 23, Peter McCarthy, 37, and Ryan Palmer, 34, Lewis Evans 62, and Raymond Thompson, 48, who are all from Barry, as well as Leon Symons, 22, from Ely, in Cardiff, and a 17-year-old from Cardiff who cannot be named for legal reasons all deny murder and are on trial at Newport Crown Court. All of the defendants except Clifford and Evans are also charged with violent disorder, which they deny, while Evans alone faces a charge of assisting an offender, which he denies.
Yesterday prosecutor Paul Lewis QC made his closing speech to the jury.
He said it was the prosecution’s case that all defendants are guilty of murder “and it matters not who wielded the knife”.
Mr Lewis told the jury: “What is plain is the attack on Harry was ferocious.
“The pathologist found Harry suffered nine wounds caused by sharp objects.
“There were slash wounds and stab wounds.”
He pointed to an “undisputed” and “chilling fact” as he referred to the evidence of pathologist Dr Deryk James about the injuries suffered by Mr Baker.
“None of the injuries were inevitably fatal,” said Mr Lewis.
“Had medical assistance been called it’s possible but by no means certain Harry Baker would have survived.
“We know despite the defendants having mobile phones with them no attempt was made by anyone to summon help for the stricken Harry Baker.
“That fact may assist you in considering whether the defendants intended for Harry Baker to die that night.
“Perhaps an even more chilling feature was the undisputed fact Harry Baker did not die quickly.
“The changes in Harry Baker’s brain only become visible after a period of time elapsed.
“Dr James concluded it was somewhere in the order of one and three hours Harry Baker survived alone, stripped and lying on the floor of the yard in the intermodal terminal, before he succumbed to his injuries.
“He might have been still alive when Mr McCarthy, Mr Palmer, and Mr Thompson went to purchase bloodied, in stab more drugs.
“Harry Baker was certainly still alive when Lewis Evans was topping up his car with petrol and buying drinks for himself, for Leon Clifford, Leon Symons, and [the youth].”
He added: “It’s Dr James’ view if only one knife were used on Harry it would have to be a particular kind of knife to cause all those injuries.
“Dr James favoured more than one knife being used in the attack.
“We ask: can there be any issue that those involved themselves in the attack on Harry Baker intended to kill him or at the very least to cause him serious injuries?
“What other intent can there be if a man is caused nine wounds by a sharp knife?
“What other intent can there be if a knife is pushed into his skull and through to his brain? When the victim is left to suffer a slow death locked in an intermodal yard?
“What other intent other than to kill him can Harry Baker’s attackers actually have?
“There can be no dispute Harry Baker was the victim of a murder. If he was not the victim of a murder we ask rhetorically: who is?”
The trial, before Mr Justice Picken, continues.
BLACKWEIR Bridge in Cardiff is set to finally reopen as repair work is due to finish next Friday.
The bridge over the River Taff in Bute Park is a key route for walkers, runners and cyclists, but has been shut for almost a year.
Cardiff council closed the bridge last April due to people not socially distancing. However, it later emerged the bridge had serious structural and fire damage, needing extensive repairs before it could safely be reopened.
Cardiff University, which owns the bridge, has said repair work is due to finish on March 5. Cardiff council has said the bridge will reopen once all the repairs are done.
Many people questioned the logic of closing the footbridge due to Covid-19, when the next bridge further upstream has a very narrow footpath, forcing people to cross very close to each other. That pavement is also frequently flooded with large puddles, and next to a busy road.
Now the council has said “scientific understanding of Covid-19 has changed”, meaning the bridge can reopen.
Last December it emerged the bridge had been structurally damaged. A freedom of information request later revealed a tree washed down the river Taff during storms early last year, damaging mesh panels and timber decking. A fire was also lit underneath the bridge.
Recently workers have been seen fixing the damage, and the university said the work is almost done.
A Cardiff University spokesman said: “We are committed to opening the bridge as soon as we can, and the necessary repair work is well under way.
“The bridge has been cleaned, and a number of decking boards were identified as requiring replacement that weren’t highlighted in the original condition survey.
“Further work to replace the non-slip mesh deck panels, removal of graffiti and the repair of other side mesh panels is also planned.
“Subject to any unforeseen circumstances, all of this work is due to be completed by Friday, March 5. The decision on when the bridge can be opened for public use is a matter for Cardiff council.”
After the bridge has finally reopened, people crossing it will be asked to help prevent the spread of coronavirus by not stopping, keeping to the left, and crossing in single file.
A Cardiff council spokesman said: “Throughout the pandemic the council has done, and will continue to do, all it can to keep Cardiff safe and limit the spread of Covid-19. But we also want to enable people to move safely and easily around the city.
“Scientific understanding of how Covid-19 is transmitted has changed since the bridge was initially closed, and we are now in a position where, once all the necessary structural works have been completed by Cardiff University, Blackweir Bridge can be reopened.
“Bridge users will be asked to follow some simple rules when using the bridge to help eliminate the risk of Covid-19 transmission as far as possible.
“Signs advising people to keep left, cross in single file, practise good hand and respiratory hygiene, and not stop on the bridge will be in place and we would ask people for their continued co-operation with these guidelines.”