Teen 'stabbed' boy but 'did not mean to kill him'

Darrian Williams died from a stab wound to the back

A teenager has told a jury he “stabbed” a 16-year-old boy in a park but did not mean to seriously injure or kill him.

Darrian Williams, 16, died after being stabbed in Rawnsley Park in Easton, Bristol, at about 18:00 GMT on 14 February.

Two boys, aged 15 at the time and now aged 16 – who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny his murder and are on trial at Bristol Crown Court.

One defendant told the court he grabbed his knife after Darrian "kicked" the other co-defendant in the chest, and he feared Darrian was about to pull a knife out.

One of the accused told the hearing that Darrian called over both defendants, who were on bikes, saying "yo-yo" on the evening of the incident.

When the two defendants got to Darrian, the teenager said "wagwan" and claimed Darrian leaned back and kicked him in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards and leaving a footprint in his jumper.

"After he kicked [the co-defendant] I saw his hands around his waist," the defendant said.

"I was fearing that he was pulling out a knife. I heard something about a shank. A shank is a knife.

"I was quite scared. I had butterflies in my stomach. I pulled out my knife quickly and I stabbed at Darrian."

Darrian Williams desperately attempted to flag down passing vehicles after he was attacked, the court was told

When asked by Michael Burrows KC, prosecuting, if he heard anything when he stabbed Darrian, he said "I heard his coat rip".

He told the jury that Darrian, who he said did not appear to be injured, then ran away, with the defendants chasing him "for five seconds".

They then spoke to two friends who Darrian had been with, who asked who the defendants were.

The boy replied: "One of the two said 'are you 6s or 2s? I said 'do I look like I'm 6?"'

The 1-6, also known as the 16s or 6s, which is associated with the Fishponds, Hillfields and Oldbury Court areas. The 2-4s, or 2s, is linked to the St Pauls and St Judes areas of Bristol.

Mr Burrows previously described the incident as "some kind of gang attack".

The defendant went to a house after and left the knife under the bed, the jury was told.

He then booked and cancelled several taxis, before getting in an Uber to a destination where he could buy an electric scooter, the jury heard.

The defendant said he "felt worried" after seeing pictures of Darrian's face on Snapchat which included a Dove emoji.

'McDonald's stabbing sparked fear'

During questioning by his barrister in court, the boy said he had started carrying a knife to protect himself and others following an incident in a McDonalds branch in Bristol, on February 8.

The court heard how a 16-year-old boy, who is not part of the case relating to Darrian and cannot be named for legal reasons, had been stabbed in the stomach with a machete, sustaining serious injuries.

When asked how the incident made him feel, the defendant said: “I felt like I wasn’t safe.”

The jury heard how Darrian managed to jump over a fence and run around to Stapleton Road, where he desperately tried to knock on the windows of several cars queuing at traffic lights - hoping someone would take him to hospital.

Eventually, a van driver helped him but they did not make it to hospital. Darrian collapsed and died around the corner.

The two defendants are each charged with Darrian's murder, which they deny.

The trial continues.