Youth injured trying to save stabbed girl

Holly Newton was killed in Hexham in January 2023

A youth was injured as he tried to stop a teenager stabbing a 15-year-old girl to death, a court has heard.

Holly Newton was stabbed multiple times in an alley in Hexham in January 2023, Newcastle Crown Court has been told.

A 17-year-old boy, who was 16 at the time and cannot be identified, denies murdering Holly and the attempted murder of the teenage boy who ran to her aid.

Several members of the public intervened to stop the minute-long attack, jurors heard.

The court has heard Holly, who lived in Haltwhistle, was followed by the accused for 45 minutes after she left school in Hexham on 27 January.

Jurors were shown CCTV footage from outside Pizza Pizza on Priestpopple, in which Holly and the boy could be seen going into the alley next to the takeaway shop at about 17:00 GMT.

Another boy, who was aged about 16, ran into the alley seconds later, then returned to ask for help before re-entering the passageway, the court heard.

Two other people also ran into the alley, with the defendant being forcibly pulled away and restrained in a bus stop until police arrived, jurors were told.

The youth who ran to Holly's aid was stabbed four times and jurors saw footage of him in the pizza shop receiving first aid to wounds to his leg and shoulder.

'Shock of pain'

In a video interview, the boy said he had seen Holly and the defendant talking to each other outside the shop for several minutes before they went into the alley.

He said the defendant appeared "quite chilled" while Holly was "annoyed".

After they went into the alley, the boy said he suddenly heard Holly scream at the defendant to "please stop" and "get off".

He said he saw the defendant on top of Holly, although he "couldn't see exactly what [the attacker] was doing because it was too dark".

He said it looked like the youth was punching the girl, but added: "Obviously he wasn't."

The boy said he put the defendant in a headlock and tried to throw him off Holly, in the process feeling a sudden "shock of pain" in his leg which is when he believed he was stabbed.

He said he ran back to the pizza shop, flung the door open and shouted: "Someone come help us, he's got a knife and is attacking a lass."

Pizza shop delivery driver Kenneth Kelly and a couple walking their dog all ran to help him, the court heard.

'Desperate for help'

In a statement read to jurors, Mr Kelly said he saw a person straddling a "dark bundle on the floor" and repeatedly stabbing down at it "hard".

He said it was only as he got closer he realised it was a girl on the ground, and while dogwalker James Westlake grabbed the attacker Mr Kelly went to her aid.

Mr Kelly said the girl, who was wearing a school uniform, was unconscious and "struggling to breathe", adding: "I knew by her lack of response and the colour of her skin she was in big trouble."

He said as he put her in the recovery position, he saw beneath her a 4in (10cm)-long knife blade that had snapped from a handle which he picked up with a plastic bag to give to police.

Mr Kelly said he spoke to the emergency services on the phone and told them the girl was "in desperate need of help".

'Went too far'

Mr Westlake said he pushed the attacker against a wall and pinned him to the ground.

He said he thought the youth had a box cutter in his hand and the boy made several attempts to try and stab himself in the neck.

Mr Westlake said the boy initially appeared "blank" and "calm", but then started showing emotion as he said Holly had been "horrible" to him, before saying: "Oh God, what have I done?"

Another man then arrived and pulled the boy out to the bus stop, the court heard.

Jurors were also shown footage from a camera worn by a police officer arresting him at the scene.

Prosecutors said the boy told police the knife was "actually to kill" himself, adding: "I was meant to kill myself but it went too far."

The trial continues.