Teenager tells murder trial he stabbed man to protect his friend

Richard Oldroyd said Peter Brocklesby had grabbed hold of Josiah Mayman’s jacket and pulled it over his head after he and his friends were confronted in the street in Cleckheaton.

He told Leeds Crown Court yesterday Mr Brocklesby began repeatedly hitting Mr Mayman, known as Josh, on the shoulders, back and upper body with a stick or something he was holding in his hand. “I saw four or five blows land.”

Oldroyd said he had previously suffered injuries in a car crash and did not want to move in. When seeing the man had something in his hand, he pulled the kitchen knife from his bag.

He told the jury he was carrying the knife because of threats made to him and his family by someone on Facebook.

After taking the knife out he shouted at Mr Brocklesby to stop, and when he did not “two or three seconds later I took a step forward, then like half a step and I jabbed it into the back of Peter”.

He told his counsel Malcolm Swift QC he knew the knife had gone in but when he took it out Mr Brocklesby “kept on attacking Josh”.

“I paused a second or two and then I did the same again,” he said.

The 19-year-old told the court he was then asked for help by his cousin Jodie who was on the ground nearby with someone sitting on her about to hit her.

He pulled the knife out of Mr Brocklesby and went to help her before they left the scene.

Oldroyd told the jury he had only used the knife when Mr Brocklesby had not stopped the attack.

“Did you think there was anything else you could do?” asked Mr Swift. “No,” he replied.

Oldroyd, of Great Pond Street, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury denies murdering Mr Brocklesby, 50, of Brooklyn Road, Cleckheaton on May 7 this year.

The prosecution claims the killing happened after Oldroyd and others left a party in Brooklyn Drive where there had been some trouble, with Oldroyd punching another man, Gareth Lightowler.

Mr Lightowler had brought Mr Brocklesby’s dog with him to the party. The dog was tied up outside and it was alleged Oldroyd kicked it as he left and when Mr Brocklesby heard of that he went to confront him.

Oldroyd denied kicking the dog at all. He said he only heard Mr Brocklesby had died when others with him received text messages about it.

The trial continues on Monday.