MOVEMENTS of youths accused of taking part in the ultimately fatal attack on a teenager on the night of the incident have been outlined to a murder trial jury.
Footage from mobile phones and captured from closed circuit tv cameras in Houghton-le-Spring town centre and nearby streets prior to, during and after the group assault on Jack Woodley were shown to the trial jury at Newcastle Crown Court.
Among the clips screened were of the youth suspected of delivering a single knife blow at the scene of the attack, at the entrance to an alleyway alongside The Britannia pub, in Newbottle Street, shortly before 9.30pm on Saturday, October 16, last year.
The youths involved had left the Houghton Feast fairground, in the Rectory Field, in Dairy Lane, and headed to The Broadway.
Prosecuting counsel Mark McKone, assisted by Detective Constable Mark Wedderburn, pinpointed one scene, from the mobile phone of someone standing nearby, showing youths converging on the victim, near to the alleyway off The Broadway.
Mr McKone said as the confrontation was taking place the words: “Get the chopper out”, could be heard.
The 15-year-old youth was then seen reaching to his track suit trousers to apparently take out a knife.
In cctv footage from the nearby Britannia pub he is seen to approach the group attacking Mr Woodley carrying what the prosecution say is the knife in one hand and its sheath in the other.
Although the alleged stabbing could not be seen, he is then seen running off down the alleyway seconds later.
Read more: Jack Woodley trial: Witnesses describe chaos as gang attacked teen
Footage from other cameras in the vicinity show him walking away and he is said to have changed clothes as later that night he is seen on other clips walking with a girl and then a man, thought to be his father, wearing different clothing to what he was seen in at the scene of the earlier attack.
The 15-year-old has admitted inflicting a knife wound to the back of the victim, and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but he denies murder.
Nine other defendants, aged 14 to 17 at the time, all deny murder.
The prosecution has stated they were out looking for “serious trouble” that evening, the final night of the annual Houghton Feast funfair, with another of the youths said to have been armed with a knuckleduster.
Mr Woodley, 18, who was originally from Newton Aycliffe, but who was living in the Sunderland area at the time of the incident, died in hospital from injuries suffered in the attack, the following day.
The trial continues on Monday.
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