Jack Lowe: Murder-accused teenagers 'filmed laughing after stabbing'

Jack Lowe,18, died after being stabbed in Darlaston

Two teenagers accused of stabbing an 18-year-old to death in an unprovoked attack were captured "laughing and celebrating" afterwards, a jury heard.

Brandon Price, 19, and a 16-year-old youth who cannot be named for legal reasons are charged with murdering Jack Norton, also known as Jack Lowe, in Darlaston on December 7, 2022.

The defendants, of Walsall, deny murder and possession of a bladed article.

Their trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court is due to last over two weeks.

Opening the case, Rachel Brand KC, prosecuting, said that while Mr Price, who was 18 at the time, was the one who stabbed Jack, his co-defendant, who was 15 at the time, had also been charged with murder after "egging him on".

The court heard Jack had spent the day shopping in Walsall and Birmingham with two female friends before encountering the two defendants.

The pair asked if they could "stick around and hang out" but the 16-year-old defendant soon began "behaving in a threatening manner".

"[He was] saying Jack had hurt a member of his family in the past. It seemed to the girls he was trying to start an argument with Jack who wasn't rising to the bait," Ms Brand said.

The stabbing happened on a patch of grass known as Cookie Park in Darlaston

The group sat down on a bench in an area known as Cookie Park at around 21:00 GMT, the court was told.

Jack tried to leave, she said, apparently concerned about the threats the youngster was making, before Mr Price launched the fatal attack.

"Jack Norton had paused to fist bump Brandon Price to say 'safe' as young people do," Ms Brand said.

"But suddenly, without any warning and we say without any good reason, Brandon Price swung his arm in a sideways motion and he stabbed Jack Norton in the chest."

As soon as the teenager had been stabbed, Mr Price was "jumping up and down as if he was excited by what he had done", the court was told.

Ms Brand said the two defendants "ran out of the park laughing", with the youth heard to have said "you didn't think we'd [expletive] do it, we've done it, we've done it."

'Whooping with excitement'

The two teenagers were later captured by CCTV and audio before disposing of the knife, the prosecutor alleged.

"When you listen to that audio track you can tell that these two defendants were celebrating what they had done.

"They were literally whooping with excitement."

The prosecutor accused Mr Price of "lying" about a claim of self-defence due to a penetrating stab wound. She alleged he had later written to his co-defendant while in custody telling him to change his story.

"There was no question of self defence here," Ms Brand said. "Jack Norton had done nothing.

"People who are telling the truth don't need to tell each other what to say."

The trial continues.