Steven Willis Murder Trial: Death occurred after family funeral

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A simmering feud within the Pickering family erupted as they gathered to pay their respects to close family friend Carol Olsen.

The argument that began between brother and sister John Pickering and Susan Ibitson led to Mr Pickering's 27-year-old son Steven Willis being murdered, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The argument at Mrs Olsen's wake spilled into a "shameful episode of street violence" which started when three of Mr Pickering's nephews decided to go after him along with two of their pals and finish the fight that started at the funeral.

Mr Pickering, 47, was stabbed outside his Middlesbrough home by his nephew Kieran Ibitson, prompting his sons Mr Willis and Lennon Pickering, 17, to leap in to defend him, it is alleged.

However, the court heard, Ibitson struck again and delivered a fatal blow through Mr Willis's breastbone into his heart.

Lennon Pickering was injured in the same incident and the gang drove off leaving their cousin to bleed to death in the street, jurors heard.

 Middlesbrough men Mr Ibitson, 21, Jahmal Weaver, 22, Mark Pickering, 32, Dominic Pickering, 23, and Jack Cross, 21, are all on trial.

Opening the case, Richard Wright, QC, told the court: "On April 16 this year the family and friends of the late Carol Olsen gathered together at her funeral to pay their respects to a popular lady.

"That afternoon and into the evening a wake was held in her honour at the Teesside Bridge Social Club in North Ormesby, Middlesbrough.

"The wake was well attended and in particular many members of the extended Pickering family were present.

"They are a large family and a large family with a strong connection to Middlesbrough.

"By the end of the evening another member of that extended family, a young man called Steven Willis would be dead. Before the end of the day he would be stabbed through the heart with considerable force as a shameful episode of street violence broke out between competing factions of that extended family."

He said there were tensions in the family, in particular between brother and sister John Pickering and Mrs Ibitson, caused because she did not like Mr Pickering's wife, Claire.

Mr Wright said: "These disputes were undoubtedly petty, but on April 16 they were about to set in chain events that would lead to Steven Willis being stabbed to death."

The court heard that at the wake John Pickering argued and then physically fought with his nephew Mark Pickering and also came into "violent physical contact" with his sister.

John Pickering then left the wake and went home to the town's Meadowcroft Road, taking his two sons with him.

But, the court heard, Mark Pickering did not consider the fight to be over and rounded up a team of five people - himself, his brother Dominic, Mr Ibitson, who were all nephews of Mr Pickering, and two friends Mr Weaver and Mr Cross.

Mr Wright said: "It is quite apparent that these five men were not popping round to see their Uncle John for a friendly social visit, they were mob-handed having picked up other members of thier team along the journey and they went for a violent confrontation.

"Settling the score with John Pickering was never going to be an easy task. He is a powerfully-built man whose reputation was feared by all these defendants."

He said the five young men pulled up outside Mr Pickering's house and he appeared outside "stripped to the waist and ready to fight".

Mr Wright said: "There was time and opportunity for this team of five to leave but they stayed because this is what they had come for, a fight.

"Albeit that it was never going to be a fair fight beause Kieran Ibitson had his knife with him.

"The violence started almost immediately with the group taking on John Pickering, who was unarmed.

"It was very shortly into that confrontation that Kieran Ibitson used his weapon for the first time, deliberately driving it into the torso of John Pickering from behind.

"The stabbing of John Pickering by Kieran Ibitson did not bring the violence to an end, rather it fuelled it as John Pickering's sons Steven Willis and Lennon Pickering became involved in it.

"Lennon Pickering joined in the fighting with his fists and he too was stabbed for his trouble, Steven Willis made the fateful decision to go back into his father's house and emerge moments later wielding a samurai sword with which he returned to the fight and used in it.

"He was rapidly disarmed by Mark and Dominic Pckering and it was during this part of the incident that Kieran Ibitson used his weapon again.

"This time he drove the blade of his knife, the same knife he had used to stab John Pickering and Lennon Pickering, through the breastbone of Steven Willis, with what must have been considerable force so that the blade pentrated his heart.

"Steven Willis managed to stand and walk back into the houser for a short while before he returned to the road and collapsed. He died there in the street within minutes from that devastating injury.

"At the same time the defendants, all five of the team together, were being driven away from the violence they had brought to Meadowcroft Road by Jahmal Weaver in Jack Cross's car."

Dominic Pickering, of Grinkle Avenue, Mark Pickering, of Greenham Close, Mr Ibitson, of Beresford Crescent, Mr Weaver, of Rounton Green, and Mr Cross, of Olney Walk, all deny murder and manslaughter as well as wounding Lennon Pickering with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

All but Mr Ibitson deny wounding father-of-four John Pickering with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The trial, being heard by High Court judge Mr Justice Males, is expected to last for four weeks.

The jury saw CCCTV footage of the doorstep confrontation, and a woman in the public gallery got up and left as it was being played.

They jury panel was also told of a text message conversation between John Pickering and his nephew Mark before he arrived at his home.

John Pickering texted "me and you now, let's go" and "where are you? I will come to you!!" Mark Pickering replied "see you in two minutes" and his uncle said "about time".

Moments before the car turned up, John Pickering sent a message saying "come on big boy".

Mr Wright described the knife as "vicious-looking" and said a pathologist had concluded that the blow must have been delivered with "considerable force".

He told the jury: "Who do we say caused that fatal injury? The answer is, of course, Kieran Ibitson. His blood was up, he was incensed about what John Pickering had done to his mother and he went arms to the address for a purpose.

"The fight had barely begun when his knife was out and he was stabbing. He stabbed his Uncle John, he stabbed, we say, his cousin Lennon Pickering, and he murdered his cousin Steven Willis.

"A serene of devastation was left after the defendants fled together. Family, friends and near neighbours tried to save the life of Steven Willis but to no avail. It was obvious to the ambulance crews who attended the scene that he was dead. They did what they could but his injury was too severe for him to stand any chance of surviving.

"The crews also treats the other injured parties. John Pickering and Lennon Pickering had each sustained stabbing injuries, each of them, we say, at the hand of Kieran Ibitson, supported and encouraged in his attack by the rest of the team that had come to take on John Pickering that night."

John Pickering texted "me and you now, let's go" and "where are you? I will come to you!!" Mark Pickering replied "see you in two minutes" and his uncle said "about time".

Moments before the car turned up, John Pickering sent a message saying "come on big boy".

Mr Wright described the knife as "vicious-looking" and said a pathologist had concluded that the blow must have been delivered with "considerable force".

He told the jury: "Who do we say caused that fatal injury? The answer is, of course, Kieran Ibitson. His blood was up, he was incensed about what John Pickering had done to his mother and he went arms to the address for a purpose.

"The fight had barely begun when his knife was out and he was stabbing. He stabbed his Uncle John, he stabbed, we say, his cousin Lennon Pickering, and he murdered his cousin Steven Willis.

"A serene of devastation was left after the defendants fled together. Family, friends and near neighbours tried to save the life of Steven Willis but to no avail. It was obvious to the ambulance crews who attended the scene that he was dead. They did what they could but his injury was too severe for him to stand any chance of surviving.

"The crews also treats the other injured parties. John Pickering and Lennon Pickering had each sustained stabbing injuries, each of them, we say, at the hand of Kieran Ibitson, supported and encouraged in his attack by the rest of the team that had come to take on John Pickering that night."