A teenager accused of murder claimed he was acting in self defence after being attacked by Prince Walker-Ayeni, a trial has heard.
The 16-year-old, referred to in press reports as Boy 1 as he cannot be identified because of his age, is charged with the murder of 17-year-old Prince, alongside another 16-year-old (Boy 2). Another 16-year-old (Boy 3) was earlier cleared of an offence of murder and an alternate offence of manslaughter following an application by his defence counsel Mark Gatley KC of no case to answer.
Presiding judge, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen advised jurors to record not guilty verdicts in respect of Boy 3 due to particular legal circumstances.
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Prince died in April this year after an incident on Raby Street, in Moss Side. Minshull Street Crown Court previously heard that Prince suffered three wounds, two to his leg and one to his chest after he was ‘pursued’ by the boys.
The remaining defendants deny an offence of murder, and an alternate offence of manslaughter and are on trial. A woman, Saima Habib, 44, is also on trial for perverting the course of justice and is accused of 'hampering' the police investigation.
Giving evidence in his defence, Boy 1 claimed that he had met Prince on three earlier occasions. He said that he didn't know him well but claimed he had a 'bad reputation'.
On the first meeting, he said that he and a friend were approached by a group of people who were 'all masked up'. :
"One shouted‘yo!’, my friend looked at him and they started chasing him. They chased him down Princess Road and my friend crashed into something," he said.
"They came up to us and Prince took his mask off. He
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Moss Side