A 15-year-old schoolboy was stabbed in the chest by another adolescent after they went to a canalside for a pre-arranged fight, according to a murder trial.
A youth aged 16 stabbed Zane Smart in the Pendeford area of the city in May last year after becoming “irate” that his victim was riding a bike nearby, according to Wolverhampton Crown Court.
The defendant, now 17, denies murder and having a knife in public without a lawful excuse, but admits causing the wound that killed Zane, jurors were told on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Harpreet Singh Sandhu KC stated in opening the Crown’s case that the youth, who cannot be named due to his age, had also posted a message on social media alongside a picture of Zane, indicating which postcode he was located in.
“On the 27th of May 2022, two teenagers arranged to meet alone so that they could fight,” the prosecutor told the court.
“Each teenager armed himself with a knife before they met to fight. When they met they used the knives they each had to attack the other.
“One of the teenagers was Zane Smart. He caused minor injuries to the other teenager… (who) used the knife he had to stab Zane Smart to the chest.”
Mr Sandhu said of the defendant, who cannot be identified because of his age: “He accepts that on the 27th of May of last year he was carrying a knife in Pendeford, here in Wolverhampton. The question for you is likely to be why did he carry that knife?”
There had been “some tension” between Zane and the boy accused of murder, the court heard, before they took different routes from a car park near a chip shop to an area beside the Shropshire Union Canal.
Talking jurors through CCTV footage of the boys in the area of the chip shop, Mr Sandhu told the court: “It’s the presence of Zane which made (the defendant) irate.
“The plan for (the defendant) and Zane to have a fight was now born. By now they were on the move – they were moving towards the canal.
“CCTV footage suggests that each of them took a slightly different route to the area of the canal.
“The fight itself was not caught on CCTV cameras and we therefore turn to witness evidence to assist us.”
A witness told the court that he saw Zane running over a canal bridge towards his bike after the stabbing.
Jurors were also told that the teen on trial suffered superficial injuries to his left arm, forehead, and left wrist, as well as clothing damage that “corresponded” to his injuries.
The trial is still ongoing.
source:https://ghanaianexpress.com
