Murder-accused teen 'didn't want to kill girl'

Holly Newton was killed in a stabbing in Hexham in January 2023

A teenage boy accused of murdering a 15-year-old girl told police he did not want to kill her, a court has heard.

Holly Newton was stabbed multiple times in an alleyway next to a pizza shop in the centre of Hexham shortly after 17:00 GMT on 27 January 2023.

A 17-year-old boy, who was 16 at the time, has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.

In a police interview shown to jurors at Newcastle Crown Court, the boy, who cannot be identified, said he had been trying to kill himself.

The youth, who has been diagnosed with learning difficulties, told officers he "bumped" into Holly while walking to the bus station, although prosecutors said he followed her for 45 minutes before attacking her.

The boy told detectives he was then having a "normal" conversation with Holly outside Pizza Pizza on Priestpopple when she started to be "horrible" to him.

He said he had a knife with him, which he had taken from his kitchen, because he wanted to kill himself.

The kitchen knife broke during the attack, the court heard

When asked by detectives if he was responsible for stabbing Holly, the boy replied: "I didn’t even know I'd done it. I wanted to kill myself, instead I hurt her.

"I didn’t want to kill her, I wanted to kill myself."

He said his mind went "blank" during the attack, adding: "Normally when my mind goes blank I try to hurt myself, slit my wrists or something, try and kill myself."

The detectives queried why, after he had been arrested, he asked a police officer if Holly was dead.

"I didn't know if she was dead or not and I didn't want her to be," the youth said, adding he didn't know what the word "murder" meant.

'Can't remember stabbing'

The boy also told police he did not think death was "real", adding if people got injured in computer games they respawned, meaning they reappeared.

The youth also denies wounding another youth who was injured while trying to stop Holly being stabbed.

He told detectives he could "not remember stabbing him at all" and during the attack on Holly he "genuinely" thought he was cutting himself.

The court has heard Holly, from Haltwhistle, had 36 knife injuries and the blade broke while she was being repeatedly stabbed.

Jurors have been told Holly complained of the boy "stalking" her and her mother had arranged to meet police about her concerns, but Holly was stabbed three hours before the meeting was due to take place.

The trial continues.