A TEENAGER accused of murdering schoolboy Reece Tansey has told a court that he never had a knife and did not know his friend had used one to attack the 15-year-old.

Giving evidence in his own defence from behind screens in the witness box at Manchester Crown Court the teenager, who can only be identified as Boy B, told how he and Boy A met up in the early hours of May 4 to go and fight Reece.

He told the jury that he believed one of Reece’s friends was going to be there too and he called a female friend on his way to the meeting asking her if she wanted to watch the fight.

Giving evidence earlier this week Boy A claimed that Boy B, who was aged 14 at the time, had asked him for a knife and he had loaned one to him which he took to the scene on Walker Avenue.

Boy A claimed that when Reece threw a punch, Boy B pulled out the knife, causing Reece to run.

But Boy B told the court that he never asked for a knife, did not have one on him and the only object he had in his hand was his mobile phone.

Boy B said that he had first met Boy A through playing on the XBox when he was 13 and they had become good friends.

He admitted that he lied in a statement to police when he said that they were not particularly friendly and he was afraid of Boy A.

“When I was at the police station I was terrified,” he told the jury.

Boy B, now aged 15, says that when he and Boy A met up with Reece, who he had never met before, Reece swung a punch at his friend and then ran off, with Boy A chasing him.

“It was all kicking off so I moved a bit closer to get a better view then everyone started running,” said Boy B.

“I followed them both. I didn’t want to leave [Boy A] with someone we’d never met before and I wanted to watch the fight.

“I chose not to get close up to them coz I didn’t want it to look like I was getting involved.”

The teenager stated that he never saw a knife in Boy A’s hand and thought his friend was just punching Reece, who he heard shouting Boy A’s name, but said he did not sound like he was in pain.

The court previously heard how Boy B shouted “What?” but he told the jury that it meant, “What’s going on?”

“It is something people normally do when having a fight,” said Boy B.

He added that he believed that Boy A had won the fight because Reece got up of the ground and ran off.

Boy A admits to stabbing Reece six times. The Harper Green School pupil was fatally wounded and died a short time later after naming his attackers to a member of the public who tried to help him.

But Boy B says that, at no time, did he see any blood or Boy A holding a knife.

During a walk home he said they talked only briefly about the fight and knives were not mentioned.

And when he learned later via social media that Reece was dead he was “shocked”.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” said Boy B.

“Everyone was saying they are going to kill us and that’s when it hit me that Reece had died.

“Everyone was accusing me for what happened.”

Boy A, aged 15, and Boy B both deny murder. Boy A claims that, although he stabbed Reece, he did not intend to kill or seriously injure him.

The trial continues.