Stranger knifed 11 times in yorkshire village ‘over hated Man City shirt’

Craig Hepburn, 19, was stabbed with a 9cm lock knife after leaving a pub in Marsden in an attack which left his 18-year-old friend, Connor Paton, seriously injured in hospital, Leeds Crown Court was told.

The Scottish teenagers were visiting Craig’s uncle and had travelled from near Paisley, Renfrewshire, arriving only hours before the double stabbing on July 6 last year.

Peter Moulson QC, prosecuting, said Mr Paton tried to help his friend and was stabbed three times. He escaped and “bleeding and struggling for breath”, managed to reach the uncle’s house.

Following emergency surgery, he survived injuries to his liver and lung. But, the court heard, Mr Hepburn died at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary the next day from stab wounds, mainly to his back.

Details of the attack were outlined at the start of the trial of Anthony Driver, 36, and Luke Elliott, 22, who both deny murder and attempted murder. They had never met their alleged victims.

Today Mr Hepburn’s friend, Connor Paton, 18, described the deadly altercation to the jury.

Mr Paton said they were approached by two men who said something to them, though he added that he did not know why his friend was attacked.

He said: “They said something to us first. That’s when Craig said something back.”

The mood altered, he said, adding: “It changed from what it was. I wouldn’t say he (Mr Hepburn) was aggressive.

“My view was just walk away and Craig would walk with me.

“I didn’t want anything bad to happen.”

Mr Paton said he had begun to walk away and was aware of “punching and kicking”, so turned round to help his friend. “It happened quick,” he added.

He helped Mr Hepburn off the ground and was struck several times in the back, jurors were told.

Mr Paton was stabbed three times and needed hospital treatment, the court heard. Mr Hepburn died from multiple stab wounds, mainly to his back.

Police said Mr Paton reported that one of the men was carrying a knife similar to a Stanley knife, but he told the court he could not remember telling officers.

Mr Moulson told the court yesterday that Craig’s Manchester City football shirt, which he was wearing at the time, is “possibly of some significance” in terms of a motive for the attack, following comments made on Facebook.

He said as part of the investigation, police gained access to Mr Driver’s Facebook account.

“In an entry on May 7, two months before the attack, Mr Driver posted ‘I hate City more than the police, haha, and that’s saying summat’”, he said.

“In a police interview the following day, a friend of Mr Driver said he had been told by the defendant they had been in a fight with two Scottish lads the night before and this had started when an argument broke out over football shirts.”

He said Mr Paton had told detectives the incident happened after two men with their hoods up came over and accused them of “looking at them”.

The prosecutor said the teenager described how “Craig was on the floor curled up, trying to protect himself. His legs were curled up to his chest and his arms were protecting his head.”

Driver, of Grange Cottages, Marsden, and Elliott, of Main Avenue, Cowlersley, blame each other for the attack, he told the court.

But he added: “We say Driver and Elliott were in it together.”

The pair also deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and perverting the course of justice after witnesses reported to police that Elliot had cleaned the knife and Driver had said he had thrown a knife into a river.

Mr Moulson told the jury: “Police recovered a knife, which had been washed, containing DNA traces of Mr Hepburn’s blood at a nearby property where the pair were arrested on the morning of July 7 last year.

“Mr Elliott was also seen removing black, blood-stained gloves on the evening of the incident.”

The jury heard how the two visitors had gone out for the evening and, earlier, Mr Hepburn had been playing his bagpipes and engaging in banter.

“Mr Hepburn and Mr Paton were clearly popular additions in the eyes of those enjoying their evening in the pub,” Mr Moulson said. “Mr Hepburn was wearing his Manchester City shirt and there had been some good-natured banter in the pub.”

The pair left shortly before midnight and started to walk back to Craig’s uncle’s home.

The jury were told how they were followed by two men and “aggressive words were exchanged”.

Mr Moulson added: “It must have been clear that Mr Hepburn and Mr Paton were not local to the area. Having stabbed someone 11 times, surely they intended to kill, and did they really intend to leave a witness alive? That is for you to decide.”

The trial continues.