Akeem Francis-Kerr killed for 'standing in wrong territory at club'

Akeem Francis-Kerr died on the way to hospital after being stabbed at the nightclub

A man was stabbed in the neck in a nightclub because he was standing in "someone else's territory", a jury has heard.

Akeem Francis-Kerr was attacked on the dancefloor at Valesha's, known locally as the Colliseum, in Walsall, on 11 March at about 05:00 GMT.

The 29-year-old died on the way to hospital.

Edward Wilson, 39, of Temple Way in Oldbury, denies murdering Mr Francis-Kerr.

Prosecutors told Stafford Crown Court the attack, which happened five minutes after the victim arrived, was part of a dispute over who was standing where in the nightclub.

The court heard Wilson stabbed Mr Francis-Kerr on the dancefloor "out of anger, arrogance or jealousy" after returning from the toilet to find him standing in a recessed area of the club where Wilson had been standing since he arrived at the club an hour before.

Prosecutor Maria Karaiskos KC said Wilson deemed that part of the club as his "area".

CCTV showed Wilson trying to leave the club with a friend after the attack, the prosecution said, but the front door was locked.

The jury was told that hooded figures then fled the scene through the fire exit, back to the Audi Wilson had driven to the club earlier.

Wilson, the prosecution said, denies he was the hooded figure caught on camera trying to get out of the club.

The attack happened five minutes after the victim arrived at the club, prosecutors have said

Ms Karaiskos told the court Wilson was wearing "distinctive" clothing - an Amiri jacket worth around £1,500, black and white trainers and a baseball cap which meant the prosecution were able to accurately "pinpoint his movements".

Opening their case, she said: "CCTV showed the defendant and Mr Francis-Kerr were facing each other on the dancefloor. Mr Francis-Kerr backed away from the defendant and the defendant raised his hand to Mr Francis-Kerr's neck."

Within minutes of leaving after the attack, the prosecution alleged that Wilson called Valesha Anderson, owner of the club, three times but she did not answer.

"By 05:55 he was sending Snapchat messages to someone else saying he needed a taxi number and another to the same person read: 'Need you to grab something and put it down for a bit'," said Ms Karaiskos.

"We say the defendant was panicking and was trying to hide the knife he had used, or the clothes he was wearing."

Two days after the stabbing, Wilson checked into an apartment in Sheffield which had been booked by his ex-partner for the week of 13 to 17 March.

Wilson was arrested at the apartment on 14 March.

The trial continues.

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