A teenager from Bolton accused of stabbing a young man to death says he was acting in self-defence.
The 17-year-old Kearsley boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial after Abdikarim Abdalla Ahmed, aged 18, was fatally stabbed outside Mill Gate Shopping Centre in Bury on March 22 this year.
The boy, who was 16 at the time of the incident, has since admitted to carrying a knife but claims that he was acting in self-defence, in the heat of the moment, and therefore is not guilty of murder, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Bernard Richmond, defending, said: “We are talking about something that happened to a 16-year-old boy who educationally had not flourished and who had to make an immediate decision.”
Floral tributes left for Abdikarim, known to friends as Abdi
Addressing the jury, he added: “You have to think about what is happening there and then to that very young man.”
Over the course of the trial, the court has heard how 18-year-old Abdikarim, known to friends as Abdi, had ‘sought revenge’ after he was allegedly punched in the fact at The Rock shopping centre earlier that day by a group of young men including the defendent.
Adikarim and his brother Faisal than confronted the boy on Market Street and Abdikarim was stabbed after throwing a punch.
CCTV footage and testimony from Faisal Ahmed both showed that the defendant had carried out the stabbing.
Mr Richmond argued that this did not amount to murder and that the boy feared serious violence, while his response was not ‘premeditated.’
He said: “Think of the things that may have been going on in his head.”
- Teen was stabbed to death after seeking revenge for assault, jury told
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But Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, argued that many of the boy’s claims, including that the knife was not his, and that Abdikarim had shown him a knife earlier that day had since been exposed as untrue.
Mr Bassano argued that “nothing that happened that day” would have made the boy believe he needed to use a knife to defend himself.
He said: “These are not small white lies, they are significant lies that go to the heart of this case.”
A jury is expected to return a verdict on Wednesday.
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