Teen tells jury he regrets stabbing boy, 14, but denies murder and claims self defence

A teenager said he regretted stabbing a boy in an alleyway but denied it was murder. Nathaniel Shani, 14, died after being knifed in the neck in Harpurhey, north Manchester.

Two boys deny murder and have gone on trial at Manchester Crown Court. Boy A, aged 14, and Boy B, aged 13, cannot be named for legal reasons.

During the third week of the trial, Boy A, who accepts that he stabbed Nathaniel, gave evidence for the first time in his defence. The defendant said he was 'nervous and frightened' in the alleyway off Tavistock Square, and feared that he might be stabbed.

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"I regret stabbing Nathaniel," he told jurors. Boy A said he had armed himself for 'protection', and claimed that Nathaniel was acting aggressively towards him prior to the fatal stabbing.

"I was wanting to get Nathaniel away from me, I wasn't intending to stab Nathaniel," he added. Jurors have heard that there had previously been a 'fall out' between Boy A and Nathaniel. Boy A claimed that he had previously heard that Nathaniel had been 'looking for' him.

Prosecutors said that a fight occurred in the alleyway, following a dispute over the theft of cannabis earlier on the day of the fatal stabbing. Boy A said that he travelled to Tavistock Square to meet with friends.

He said he decided to take a screwdriver with him for 'safety and protection'. “Who did you think you needed safety and protection from?," his barrister Richard Littler KC asked him.

“Nathaniel and his group of friends," Boy A told the jury. He said that before arriving at Tavistock Square he had attended a friend's house.

“I told him I was nervous about going to Tavistock Square," the defendant said. "He