Stabbed man ‘had his knife raised’, defence suggests

A DEFENCE barrister has suggested an 18-year-old man was fatally stabbed after first making threats with a raised knife to the teenager who attacked him.

But a witness told a murder trial at Leicester Crown Court the alleged victim was holding a knife, but it was “down by his side”.

Joshua Taylor died from a chest injury inflicted in Sword Drive, Hinckley, in the early hours of October 7.

A 17-year-old juvenile denies murdering Joshua, claiming he acted in self-defence. The teenagers were friends and had been drinking vodka in a park in Hinckley that evening, before falling out.

One of their friends, Kieran Fletcher, 18, told the court they were all having a pleasant time.

After informing the court, during his evidence, that he had mobile phone footage from earlier on that evening, the video clip was obtained and shown to the jury.

It showed the defendant climbing up the side of a building, hanging from the edge of the roof and dangling his legs in the air, with laughter in the background.

Mr Fletcher said the defendant’s coat was damaged at that point.

Later on, the defendant and Joshua fell out and were in a scuffle, over a broken Bluetooth speaker, and the two angrily parted company, it was claimed.

Mr Fletcher said Joshua produced a knife, which he told him to put away, shortly before the fatal incident in Sword Drive.

He alleged the defendant turned up armed with two knives, one bigger than the other, and was shouting for Joshua by his nickname – Bonehead. It was further up the road that the defendant encountered Joshua and both went towards each other.

Mr Fletcher said, during crossexamination, that the knife Joshua had was “down by his side” when the defendant allegedly threw a “hammer punch” towards him.

Mr Auty suggested Joshua was holding a knife in his raised hand and “moved at speed as if to stab the defendant”.

Mr Fletcher said: “I disagree. It looked like, to me, the knife was still by his side.

“He didn’t go to swing.

“He said ‘What the... Bruv.’ Those were Josh’s last words.”

Mr Auty asked: “Did you hear him (the defendant) say ‘Come near me yard?.’”

Mr Fletcher said: “No.”

The barrister asked: “Did you hear Josh Taylor saying ‘Who’s going to stab me then, you? You gonna stab me? I will stab your family?”

The witness replied: “No, I didn’t hear anything like that, that I can recall.”