Row over age led to Lymington stab murder, court hears

Max Maguire died at the scene

A man was murdered by two brothers following an argument in a Royal British Legion club, a court has heard.

Garon Jewell, 19, and Draven Jewell, 21, are accused of killing 23-year-old Max Maguire in the fight outside the club in Lymington, Hampshire.

Winchester Crown Court heard the argument started after the younger sibling became "rude" when questions were asked about his age.

The defendants claim to have acted in "lawful self-defence".

Two friends of the victim, Georgia Hole and Luke Gray, were also stabbed during the altercation which happened shortly before midnight on 22 October last year.

Police cordoned off the street outside the Royal British Legion club in Lymington

Adam Feest QC, prosecuting, told the jury the two defendants were among two groups of people drinking at the club who loosely knew each other.

He said tensions rose after Garon Jewell was "rude" to Mr Maguire and Mr Gray after they had asked how old he was.

He added that another cause of the disagreement between the groups came after Ms Hole's partner, Thomas Dunn, asked if he could buy a nitrous oxide canister, known as laughing gas, which Draven Jewell had found earlier and had brought with him.

Mr Feest said the younger brother later used a derogatory term to describe Ms Hole's mother.

The prosecutor said the violence outside the club lasted about 20 seconds.

'Catastrophic injuries'

"Max Maguire died within moments from a wound he received to the left side of his chest, a knife wound," he said.

"This had penetrated his lung and damaged a major artery internally, and caused catastrophic and non-survivable injuries."

Mr Feest said Mr Gray, 23, suffered two serious wounds to his lower back which required emergency hospital treatment and Ms Hole, 23, suffered a less serious injury to her chest.

The court was told Draven Jewell was captured on CCTV dropping a chef's knife and picking it up again as he entered the club.

Mr Feest added the older brother caused the fatal injuries and the wounds to the other two victims with the knife, but his brother was "jointly responsible" for the violence.

He said Ms Hole described the defendant with the knife as "swinging it round like a wild animal".

Draven Jewell has pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon but, with his brother, denies murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter of father-of-one Mr Maguire, from Pennington.

The older defendant also denies the attempted murder of Mr Gray and, with his brother, two alternative charges of wounding Mr Gray.

The brothers, from Lymington, also face two alternative wounding charges relating to Ms Hole.

The defendants claim to have acted in "lawful self-defence", the court heard.

The trial continues.