Teenager denies stabbing fight rival after 10 pints of cider

Tragically Sean Rodgers bled to death from the wounds caused by an angry William Wardle, Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court.

Wardle had run off after the confrontation on a bridge near the Stanningley bypass in Leeds and a man who had pulled them apart thought Mr Rodgers was just out of breath and left him to recover.

He was unaware that he had in fact been stabbed several times – including one deep wound to the abdomen that had cut through an artery causing fatal internal bleeding.

Mr Sharp told the jury Mr Rodgers was left on the bridge after the stabbing at about 12.30am and would have been able to move for a few minutes.

He was then seen around two hours later sat on the ground with his head between the vertical bars of the bridge by a man walking home.

That man thought he was just a drunk being sick and left him there. It was only later he went out for some cigarettes and seeing him still there realised there was something wrong.

The police were called and after Mr Rodgers was pronounced dead the by-pass was closed to allow investigations to start.

Wardle, 19, of Wellstone Garth, Bramley, Leeds, denies the murder of Mr Rodgers, 20, of Greenthorpe Road, Armley, Leeds, in June.

Mr Sharp told the jury when Wardle "gets drunk, he gets very angry".

On the night of June 6 he was out with his girlfriend in the Bramley area and by the end of the evening had drunk "something like 10 pints of cider and a couple of Jack Daniels".

By 11.30pm when he went outside the Daisy public house in Stanningley Road he was drunk and began calling Mr Rodgers' girlfriend "a slag". That led to an angry exchange with Mr Rodgers who chased Wardle away.

Wardle ended up walking home rather than taking a taxi. On the way he made some phone calls and ended up speaking with Mr Rodgers.

"They did not sort things out, rather the phone calls inflamed the mood, and they arranged to meet to have a fight," said Mr Sharp.

Wardle's girlfriend then tried to persuade him to stay home but he was angry and shouting so loud he woke his family up. He refused to calm down and got the knife.

Mr Sharp told the jury butterfly knives were illegal along with items such as throwing stars and handclaws.

"Their possession is banned since their design and their only purpose is to kill or injure," he said.

Wardle left saying he was going to meet Mr Rodgers nicknamed Swell. He met him on the ramp of the "tin bridge" near the by-pass and started fighting.

Mr Sharp said Michael Longford who had just been speaking to Mr Rodgers did not see a knife just the fight and went over and pulled them apart.

Wardle ran off and Mr Longford then left Mr Rodgers to recover thinking he was only out of breath but tragically that was not the case.

Wardle was later arrested and the knife recovered from his home. He said he had decided to confront Mr Rodgers because he did not want him to coming to his home and took the knife to frighten him not to harm him.

He claimed he had no chance to show it before "Sean was on me" and said he must have run on to the knife as it was in his hand.

The trial continues.