Teenage boy tells jury he 'swung' knife at alleged murder victim, 17, after becoming 'terrified' when he saw 'weapon'
21.09.2022 - 22:10
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A teenage boy accused of murder said he 'swung' a knife after becoming 'terrified' when he saw his friend had a blade, a trial has heard. Boy A, who can't be named for legal reasons, is accused of murdering 17-year-old college student Alan Szelugowski in Clowes Park, Salford.
Two other boys, Boy B and Boy C, both aged 17, also deny murdering Alan on January 29. Alan was found to have suffered 20 stab and slash wounds to his head and body, and was discovered in the park by dog walkers the following morning.
Prosecutors have told jurors that the pair had 'fallen out' over a debt, and they'd arranged to meet to 'sort things out'. Giving evidence at Minshull Street Crown Court, Boy A, 17, said he'd come to the UK with his family as a child and settled in Salford. He said he made friends in the area, including Alan.
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Boy A, who had a job, said he had been to Alan's house a few times. Asked what they did together, he said: "Chill, play PlayStation, go out and smoke a spliff or something."
He described Alan as a 'close friend'. But prior to Alan's death the pair had fallen out, jurors heard.
Boy A claimed he was owed money after he'd sold Alan cannabis. Jurors heard that Alan had called Boy A a 'snake'.
The court heard that he'd called him this after Boy A had allowed another man, who the defendant claimed was also owed money by Alan for cannabis, to use his phone to contact the deceased.
Boy A told jurors that the day before Alan's death, he and Alan had been in contact via text. The defendant said that on January 29 he went to work and continued messaging with Alan.
He then agreed to meet Alan that evening, arriving in an Audi with