A63 attack: Boy who stabbed 13-year-old 10 times says he 'only tried to hurt her'
A boy accused of attempting to murder a younger girl on a Halloween camping trip with a sword said he attacked her because he thought it would get him “closer” to another girl he fancied.
The youth, who was nearly 15 at the time of the attack in the early hours of November 1, told a jury at Hull Crown Court he hadn’t intended to kill the victim.
He said he’d been offered money by the girl he fancied to “hurt” the victim, after the two girls had been arguing. Asked by Judge John Thackray KC why he hadn’t “just hit her” with his hand, the defendant replied: “I don’t know”.
The court has heard the victim, then 13, was left bleeding heavily and on her own in woodland near the A63, but managed to get help by flagging down traffic.
She’d been stabbed 10 times, suffering injuries including a stab wound to her chest that could have proved fatal. She was rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary, and then blue-lit to the Paediatric Major Trauma Centre at Leeds General Infirmary.
The attack came after a group of seven youngsters walked to Hessle foreshore and camped in a field.
The youth, who cannot be named, has pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and possessing the sword, but denies attempted murder. He told the court the girl he liked was older than him. She had brought along a sword which was a “family heirloom”, which he used to make a fire and flip burgers.
He said the victim was upset because of the arguing and wanted to leave. She left the campsite with another of the lads to show her the way out. As they were leaving, he said, the girl he fancied “told me to go and hurt her (the victim)”.
Defence barrister David Godfrey asked: “Why did you do what she said?” He replied: “I thought it would get me and (the girl) closer because I fancied her.” Mr Godfrey said it was the prosecution’s case that he wanted to kill the victim. The youth replied: “No that was not my intention”. Mr Godfrey then asked him: “What were you thinking when you hurt her?”
He replied: “I’m a monster”.
Mr Godfrey asked: “During the attack did you say sorry?”. “Yeah,” he replied, “I felt really bad”.
Cross-examined by prosecutor David Lamb KC, the youth agreed he took the victim into the woods because he didn’t want the others to see or hear the attack.
The attack stopped when the victim “booted” him and he realised what he was doing. “I was disgusted”, he said. Afterwards he went back to the tent and gave the sword back to the girl and cried himself to sleep.
He said he’d lied to police because he was “scared”.
Mr Lamb asked him whether he knew if he stabbed someone “10 times in the chest, back, in the neck and in the stomach with that sword it could kill them?” The youth replied: “Yeah”.
Mr Lamb asked what he thought would happen when he stabbed her 10 times. He replied: “I didn’t know I stabbed her 10 times. I didn’t mean to use as much force as I did.”
He told the jury: “I never tried to kill (her) I only tried to hurt her.”
The case continues.