Walsall murder trial: Wolverhampton man, 21, died after 'targeted' knife attack outside bar, court told

Shane Mayer, from Wolverhampton, was allegedly stabbed by Ramani Sanderson, 20, outside Gabba's Bar, in Darlaston, on the night of July 24, 2019 - rupturing his femoral artery and causing his death three days later.

The attack on Forge Road was sparked by an earlier altercation that evening outside the same bar, involving co-defendant Lewis Green, 21, jurors at Birmingham Crown Court was told.

Prosecuting, Michael Burrows QC, said Green "summoned the troops" and returned to the scene with Sanderson, Joseph Till, 21, and Kamron Reid, 20, where they confronted Mr Mayer and the victim's friend, at 11.13pm. They are all charged with his murder.

Sanderson allegedly slashed Mr Maye with a knife measuring between 30 and 40 centimetres in length.

Mr Burrows said: "In the case of Ramani Sanderson, we say he is guilty of murder. He stabbed him in his groin, intending to kill Shane or cause serious injury.

"In the case of the other defendants, we say there all guilty of murder as they participated in the attack, and shared the intention to kill or cause serious injury.

"They each had a weapon. Ramani Sanderson was armed with a large knife. CCTV shows him holding a long, straight item, at one stage behind his back, and later lunging towards Shane's left side.

"Shane Mayer was stabbed in the left groin. I understand Ramani Sanderson now accepts he had a knife as he approached Shane."

After he was stabbed, Mr Mayer and his friend ran from the scene with the defendants chasing after them. The victim collapsed on nearby Wolverhampton Street, and was found bleeding heavily by a member of the public, while the defendants fled the scene.

Mr Burrows said: "I use his words [from the witness]. 'He [Shane] was bleeding heavily. The blood was was just coming out of him like water.'

"Unlike the defendants, when he [the witness] saw Shane, he went to help him and called for an ambulance. He got a blanket to stem the bleeding."

A female paramedic found that Shane had three stab wounds to his left groin. He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but while on the way, went into cardiac arrest. Attempts were made to revive him, but he never regained consciousness.

He later suffered a serious brain injury due to his blood loss and needed part of his leg amputating.

Defensive

On July 27, three days after the attack, the decision was made to turn off his life support.

A post-mortem revealed Mr Mayer died as a result of the wounds to his left groin. He also had injuries to his arm and finger, which Mr Burrows described as "defensive" type injuries from "putting them up to block the blows from the knife."

There were two earlier incidents that evening, which led up to the attack on Mr Mayers, added Mr Burrows.

The first incident, which happened just before 11pm, prompted Green to go "running to the scene armed with a hammer" to Gabba's Bar, he said.

He said: "It appears he [Green] made a phone call. Phone records show at 11.09pm, he called the phone number attributed to Kamron Reid.

"The inference is, although he was calling Kamron Reid, [the call was] to summon the troops.

"In fact, Kamron Reid didn't answer the call but saw the call was made, and phoned Green back just 16 seconds later.

"The call lasted 34 seconds. Kamron Reid was at this time at or near his home, at Herberts Park Road.

"Just 30 seconds after the call ended, CCTV shows a group of people - including Ramani Sanderson, Kamron Reid, Joseph Till and Green - running towards Forge Road, the scene of the fatal third attack.

"From CCTV, we know the violence lasted less than a minute. At 11.13pm, the defendants approached the group outside Gabba's Bar.

"By 11.14pm, the defendants were running back along Forge Road, having chased the fatally inured victim Mayer from the area.

"The violence lasted less than a minute in the course of the evening."

The prosecution alleges that Reid was armed, with CCTV showing him passing an object from his left hand to right.

Mr Burrows told jurors that Green pleaded guilty to carrying a hammer. The court heard he told police that Sanderson slashed Mayers.

Mr Burrows said: "Lewis Green said during the confrontation, he saw Ramani Sanderson holding a knife with a black blade, that was 30 to 40 centimetres.

"He saw Ramani slash Shane Mayer across his hip many times. He says he shouted for Ramani to stop and claimed he turned around headed straight home.

"We will see the CCTV shows him not doing."

Taxi driver

Reid, of Herberts Park Road, Bloxwich; Green, of Heathfield Lane West, Darlaston; Till, of Summer Street, Willenhall; and Sanderson, of Walsham Road, near Peckham, London, all deny murder.

Sanderson also denies possessing a bladed article in a public place.

Sanderson is also standing trial accused of assaulting a taxi driver in a separate incident less than three months earlier.

On the evening of April 29, 2019, he and four friends - two males and two females - tried to get into a taxi from the Bradford Arms pub, in Walsall.

The taxi driver said there was too many passengers and which prompted Sanderson to punch the head rest, as he was sitting behind the driver.

The driver got out of his vehicle and asked them to leave, at which point Sanderson punched him a number of times in the face and body, said Mr Burrows.

The defendant then allegedly threw his phone across the road, causing his phone to "break into pieces".

Mr Burrows said: "He [the driver] walked back to his car and found Ramani had left the car park, and crossed the road heading to a nearby canal.

"Understandably, the driver was upset and angry. Foolishly, he picked up stones and threw them at the group.

"One of the males threw one back and shouted abuse. Ramani Sanderson and one of the males returned to the car.

"CCTV shows Ramani Sanderson taking something out of his backpack.

"The CCTV shows the driver running around the vehicles in the car park, and Ramani running after him, before hitting him on the head with a knife."

There were two men who witnessed the attack, allegedly carried out by Sanderson.

One man described a "chopping action" down onto the driver's head, said Mr Burrows.

"They both went to help and saw he [the driver] was bleeding from the blow on the back of his head.

"For their part, Ramani Sanderson and his friends walked away."

In relation to that incident, Sanderson is charged with wounding with intent, and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He denies both charges as well.

The trial continues.