Man heard to shout he had a knife moments before fatal stabbing
A teenager who was at the scene of a fight in a Staffordshire street where a man was stabbed told a jury how moments before he had heard another man shouting he had a knife and was going to stab somebody.
Daniel Allott is accused of murdering 23-year-old Connan McLeod in Whitemill Lane, Stone, on April 12.
Kieran Norton told a jury at Stafford Crown Court yesterday (Wed) that he had been with Mr McLeod and a group of other men who headed to Whitehall Lane after Mr McLeod claimed he had been 'bottled' at a nearby park and 'wanted to go find the boys who did it and sort it out with them'.
Giving evidence from behind a screen, the 18-year-old said Mr McLeod had knocked on a door of an address in the street and a man had come outside wearing a grey jumper and grey tracksuit bottoms and the pair proceeded to 'fist fight'.
Mr Robert Price, prosecuting, told the court at a previous hearing that Mr McLeod had been fighting with Allott's cousin Nicholas Cooper before he was stabbed with a kitchen knife by 27-year-old Allott, who claims it had been an accident.
Mr Norton told the court that during the fight a boy dressed in black clothing 'sprinted' over to Mr McLeod and threw what looked like a punch to his side.
Moments later he realised Mr McLeod had been stabbed.
Mr Norton said the boy had left the address shouting he had a knife.
He told the jury: "He said he will stab somebody."
He said he saw him running over to Mr McLeod while he was still engaged in the fight and the boy 'swung for him in a hooking motion'.
He told the court that Mr McLeod then stumbled into a girl, who hit him a few times to his face, before he went to his knees.
When asked by Mr Price to describe the blow, Mr Norton said: "It was quite fast."
He added: "There was a lot of blood leaking down his body, covering his tracksuit bottoms and dripping onto the floor."
Mr Norton said the man who had delivered the blow then got into a car and drove away.
Another witness, 19-year-old Ashley Jones also went with Mr McLeod and the group to Whitemill Lane and said he had taken a metal bar with him for protection.
He said he saw Mr McLeod and another man swinging punches at each other and told the jury that another man wearing a black hoody had emerged carrying what looked like two knives, handing one to his friend.
Mr Jones said he 'bowled over' to Mr McLeod and swung at him.
Adam Burke, aged 18, also gave evidence and said he saw a man run over to Mr McLeod and swing at him with his arm, before Mr McLeod stumbled and fell to the ground.
He said the knife was still embedded in his chest.
Police and paramedics attended Whitemill Lane at around 12.40am on April 12 but Mr McLeod was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post mortem revealed he died from a single stab wound to the heart and left lung.
Allot, of Bagots Oak, Stafford, denies murder.
The trial continues.
