Teenager denies gang had gone to settle score

The 17-year-old was wounded in the leg when he went to help Michael “Angel” Graham, 19, who died after being stabbed 12 times in the back in a brawl on Scarborough seafront.

Teesside Crown Court has been told he was set on by a 16-year-old former friend who counted the thrusts so he could later text friends he had stabbed his victim 12 times.

Angel, from Scarborough and with Leeds links, 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.

Giving evidence via video link, the surviving victim – still 17 – told the jury Angel and the defendant had been trading insulting texts for two weeks before the stabbings. Angel referred to the younger boy as a “paedo”, the teenager told the jury, adding: “Angel found out he (the defendant) had been sleeping with under-age lasses. He thought it was a bit wrong.”

He added that Angel also carried a weapon – a red lock knife with a skull on it – which he used to protect himself while living in the Chapeltown area of Leeds.

But he only kept it to scare people and it was folded away at the time of the fatal attack – which happened only about 90 minutes after the last exchange of text messages, he added.

The jury has been told that the defendant’s group had been hanging around at McDonald’s that evening before heading for the beach. A series of text insults had been traded including threats of violence and taunts to the defendant with references such as “legal lasses – something you are not used to”. The teenager said his group had gone along the seafront to avoid their rivals, but were surrounded around 11.30pm.

The trial continues.