A teenager has admitted killing a 15-year-old girl after following her around a market town for 45 minutes, but he has denied her murder in a frenzied knife attack in an alleyway.

The victim, Holly Newton, suffered 12 stab wounds and 24 other knife slash-type injuries, five of them to her hand in trying to defend herself, in the minute-long attack, off Priestpopple, Hexham, at 5pm on Friday, January 27 last year.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that a male friend of the victim, who tried to intervene having heard her screams down the alley, was also stabbed by the defendant as he tried to pull him off Holly.

Despite his injuries, he managed to raise the alarm at a nearby pizza shop as the defendant resumed his attack on Holly.

(Image: Northumbria Police/North News)

Passers-by and people from the pizza shop intervened and pulled the attacker away from Holly as he still had hold of the knife, the tip of which had broken off in the course of the incident.

He was arrested at the scene when police arrived a short time later.

David Brooke KC, prosecuting, said Holly was taken by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, where, despite all the efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

When interviewed, the defendant admitted going to Hexham by bus that afternoon and admits having taken a knife with him, from home.

He said he wanted to speak to Holly, who, at first he saw was with two friends, but kept his distance at first.

After about 45 minutes he said he changed his mind and decided to go back to the bus station.

Mr Brooke said the defendant told police that having passed Holly at a bus stop she agreed to go down the alley to have words.

But, he said after she was “horrible” to him, his mind went blank, “and the next thing he recalled was being on top of her with a knife.”

The defendant told police that he did not take the knife with him intending to hurt anyone other than himself.

Mr Brooke said the prosecution does not accept that version.

“We simply say he had become angry and stabbed Holly many, many times in that alley.

“He doesn’t say he had any lawful reason to act as he did.

“We say at the time he intended to cause Holly really serious harm.

“We say the intention is quite obvious.

“He stabbed her 12 times and caused 24 other injuries over the course of a minute.”

Mr Brooke said despite the intervention of the other teenager, who was stabbed himself, the attack continued.

“We say he must have intended at that time at the very least to have intended to cause her really serious harm.

“You may accept he doesn’t remember doing what he did to her in the alleyway, blanking out the trauma.

“It’s not a defence and does not change the fact he must have intended to cause really serious harm to Holly at the time.

“What else could his actions mean?”

The defendant, 16 at the time and now aged 17, cannot be identified due to his age.

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He admits the manslaughter of Holly and possessing a knife in public that day.

But he denies the murder charge and wounding the other victim with intent, plus the alternative of unlawful wounding.

The case continues tomorrow (Friday July 19).