Boy accused of Luton drug deal murder bought 63 knives, trial hears

Omar Khan and Cheyenne Barnes were stabbed during a drug deal with two teenage boys who cannot be named for legal reasons

A teenage drug dealer accused of murdering a man with a bayonet-style hunting knife had bought 63 knives in the months leading up to the killing, a court heard.

The boy is one of two 17-year-olds who deny killing Omar Khan, 38, during a drug deal in Luton on 16 September.

They are also accused of wounding a woman who was with Mr Khan.

The prosecution opening heard the 63 knives had been ordered online in the nine months prior to the stabbings.

For legal reasons, neither boy on trial at Guildford Crown Court can be named.

The jury was told the defendants had met Mr Khan and his partner Cheyenne Barnes, also 38, behind the Tesco in Sundon Park in order to sell them drugs.

The court heard Mr Khan and Ms Barnes took out kitchen knives and tried to rob the teenagers of their drugs at about 01:45 BST on the Saturday in question.

'Lay 'em out'

Opening the trial, prosecutor Patrick Dennis said: "One of the defendants threw a pack of drugs on to the floor and Ms Barnes went to pick it up. He [the defendant] pulled out his bayonet knife - which was much larger than either of the knives that Mr Khan or Ms Barnes were carrying.

"He then stabbed Mr Khan in the abdomen, turned to Ms Barnes and stabbed her in the arm, then turned back to Mr Khan and stabbed him in the arm, before he turned towards Ms Barnes again and cut her arm a second time.

"The other defendant was standing nearby, encouraging his accomplice and telling him what to do, repeating 'lay 'em out'."

The defendants fled and Mr Khan collapsed in a nearby car park, while Ms Barnes ran in a different direction.

A jury heard that one of the teenagers had ordered 63 knives online using his mother's name over a period of nine months before the stabbings.

A jury was told the defendants had met with Mr Khan and his partner to carry out a drug deal

Evidence from a pathologist stated the blade went through Mr Khan's mid-riff, cutting through his liver, principal arteries and spine.

The weapon was never recovered.

Mr Khan, of Leicester Road, Luton was pronounced dead at 02:56. Ms Barnes was taken to hospital and required surgery for her arm injuries.

The court heard the defendants have claimed they acted in self-defence.

The jury was told that one of the teenagers has already admitted one count of possession of a bladed article on the night Mr Khan died, and that both defendants had admitted charges related to the supply of cocaine and heroin.

The murder trial continues.