Texting teen ‘boasted about Scarborough seafront murder’
Michael “Angel” Graham, 19, from Scarborough and Leeds, was subjected to the “cowardly attack” by the younger boy from behind while on his knees during a brawl on Scarborough seafront, the court heard.
Mr Graham had been friends with his killer but the pair fell out after Mr Graham taunted the other boy for sleeping with a 12-year-old girl, it was alleged.
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Hide AdA second lad, aged 17 at the time, was also stabbed in the leg.
Giving evidence via video link at Teesside Crown Court yesterday, the surviving victim said the pair were confronted by the killer’s gang near the Olympia arcade around 11.30pm.
He said: “There was a massive group of them.
“They all surrounded him - like a horse shoe.”
The jury heard 6ft tall Mr Graham was on top of an 18-year-old man and getting the upper hand in the fight when the killer stepped forward and repeatedly and stealthily stabbed him in the back.
“I thought he was just punching him,” the surviving teenager continued.
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Hide AdThe second teenager was then also stabbed as he went to help his pal.
The court heard the knife went into his knee and fractured a bone - but he did not realise it.
“It looked like he had punched me in the knee,” he continued.
“It was only when he stepped back I saw the glimmer of the knife in his hand.”
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Hide AdEarlier, Tim Roberts QC, prosecuting, told the court killer and victim had been “trading insults” by mobile phone texts and the defendant had decided he was going to stab Angel.
He added: “The defendant and Mr Graham used to be good friends, but they had fallen out.
“Michael Graham had been sending him hurtful text messages accusing him of being a paedophile because he had been involved in a relationship with a girl who had been under 16 at the time.”
Before the stabbing, the accused told a girlfriend “that he was heading for a showdown with Michael Graham, that he was prepared to stab him and that Michael Graham deserved to die”, Mr Roberts alleged.
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Hide Ad“The blows were inflicted with such rapidity and stealth that it was not obvious to onlookers that a weapon was being used at all,” Mr Roberts said.
“It was then the defendant revealed the motive for his cowardly attack as he shouted ‘So you still think I’m a dirty f--ing paedo?’”
Mr Graham stood up and tried to place his attacker in a head lock, saying: “Let’s just shake hands boys, and forget about it.”
The court heard as the gang left Mr Graham collapsed twitching to the ground after taking no more than eight steps, saying “Sorry mate.”
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Hide AdThe fatal wounds were inflicted with a knife purchased earlier that day from the Ancient Warrior store on the seafront.
Me Roberts told the jury: “Whatever else he was thinking of at the time of the stabbing, the prosecution case is that the defendant was intent on killing Michael. Graham or at least doing him some really serious bodily harm.
“You may gauge the force behind the attack from the fact the defendant cut his own hand as he pushed the handle so hard that his hand slipped onto the brand new blade, cutting it between thumb and forefinger.
“It is a measure of the calculation with which this crime was committed that the defendant seems actually to have counted in his head each thrust of the knife at the time because afterwards he was to text several friends with the information that he had stabbed Angel 12 times.”
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Hide AdMr Graham, who was living in Scarborough but also had links to the Chapeltown area of Leeds, died from multiple wounds to his back shortly after the incident on April 13.
The accused, who is now 17 but cannot be named for legal reasons - denies murder.
An order has also been made banning identification of anyone else involved in the case - because of their ages - apart from the dead man.
The trial continues.