Joshua Hall death: Boy 'didn't realise he stabbed teen in fight'

Joshua Hall's family said he was a "caring and kind soul"

A teenager said he had only wanted to scare a 17-year-old when he pulled out a knife during a fight which ended in a fatal stabbing.

The 16-year-old said he did not realise he had stabbed Joshua Hall until he lifted his top and showed him.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, is on trial for murder after Joshua suffered stab wounds in Gloucestershire on 16 April.

"I broke down in shock when I realised what I had done," he told the court.

The boy, who was 15 at the time of the incident at Cam Sports Ground in Dursley, told Gloucester Crown Court there had been ongoing tension between his group of friends and Joshua's.

The jury has heard that the teenagers agreed to meet at Cam Sports Ground

The jury has heard the two teenagers had agreed to meet to "sort out their differences".

He said: "We were at arms distance from each other when I reached for my knife and began poking him. I was just trying to scare him off, but he kept coming at me and swinging punches at me.

"I didn't know that I had stabbed Joshua until he lifted his shirt and showed me.

"I broke down in shock when I realised what I had done. I only wanted him to back off."

'Stupid decision'

The teenager told the jury he carried a knife for his own protection after being attacked.

"I just wanted the knife as a backup. This was a stupid decision in hindsight," he told the court.

The defendant explained he had got involved with Joshua because he believed that he had beaten up a friend of his and due to alleged comments he had made about a girl.

He denies murder and the trial continues.