Daniel Kirkwood trial: Jury shown footage of moments before fatal stabbing
A jury has been shown CCTV from inside a nightclub which captured the minutes before a teenager suffered a fatal stab wound.
Five men, including one from Great Barr, are accused of killing 18-year-old Daniel Kirkwood.
The jury at Warwick Crown Court was yesterday shown video footage from inside Society nightclub in Coventry. They viewed CCTV from cameras inside the venue which showed a scuffle breaking out between a group of Daniel's friends and some of the defendants.
Tobijah Thompson, Hasham Ali, Ramez Murtaza, Ezra Scott and Zaker Khan, all from Birmingham, have pleaded not guilty to Daniel's murder in March last year.
They have also denied charges of violent disorder and wounding two of Daniel's friends, Nigel Mkhwananzi and Niall Kavanagh, with intent to cause them grievous bodily harm.
Thompson, 25, of no fixed address; Murtaza, 21, of Bordesley Green East, Bordesley Green; Khan, 25, of Belchers Lane, Small Heath; Scott, 32, of Hawksyard Road, Erdington; and Ali, 19, of Amberley Green, Great Barr, also deny assaulting a fourth person, Christopher O'Brien.
In addition Thompson, previously of Blakesley Way, Bordesley Green, has pleaded not guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, a knife, in the nightclub.
West Midlands Police officer Dc Jenkins led the jury through the CCTV. The group of defendants and Daniel's friends came into contact after Ali chatted to a girl who was part of the group around 1.50am and then approached them minutes later on March 15.
Ali walked off and moments later returned accompanied by Thompson and Khan, with the trio heading straight towards the group of Daniel's friends.
Thompson was then struck by Daniel's friend Jordan Williams and knocked to the ground, before Mr Williams was grabbed by door staff from behind. Murtaza arrived in the main bar from a VIP room.
He and Thompson – with Scott behind them – were seen advancing towards Daniel's group of friends. A CCTV camera at the club did not capture the fatal attack on Daniel – but did show Thompson launch a flying kick at him. The defendants all left the club together just before 2am.
