Alfie Lewis attacker 'smirked' after stabbing teenager, trial told

Alfie Lewis, 15, was stabbed on the way back from school in November last year

A teenager "smirked" and ran off after fatally stabbing a 15-year-old boy in the chest, a court has been told.

Alfie Lewis was attacked on Church Road in Horsforth, Leeds, last November and died later in hospital.

A trial jury at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday heard from a witness who said that at first she thought the boys were fighting, but then saw the defendant holding a knife "up in the air".

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, denies Alfie's murder.

'Kitchen carving knife'

Joanne Wojtylo told the court she was with another woman picking up children from a primary school when they witnessed the attack on 7 November.

In a recorded police interview shown to the court, Ms Wojtylo said: "I was walking, we were having a chat, then we saw two lads fighting in the middle of the road and [one of the women] said, 'he's got a knife'."

Ms Wojtylo described how she thought the suspect was punching Alfie, but then she saw the knife, which she recalled as being "a kitchen carving knife, all black".

The boy looked at them and "grinned, like smirked" before running off, she said.

Under cross-examination by Nicholas Lumley KC, for the defence, the witness was asked whether she had actually seen the accused "smirking".

He said: "I can see that it makes for a good story, but that really didn't happen, did it?"

Ms Wojtylo replied: "Yes, it did happen."

The teenager was fatally stabbed on Church Road in Horsforth on 7 November

The court also heard from another witness, Sarah Johnson, who said she was heading home when she noticed "some form of commotion going on".

Ms Johnson told the jury she saw "some lads fighting" and eventually realised one of the boys was called Alfie and that he was being pushed into the middle of the road by the other boy.

Giving evidence, she told the court: "It seemed very much one-sided. Alfie was definitely losing that fight."

She said she "ran in to stop the fight" before the other boy ran off.

Ms Johnson described how she and a man helped Alfie to the side of the road, adding: "As we got to the pavement, he basically went flat."

'Acting in self-defence'

Prosecutor Craig Hassall KC had previously told jurors that Alfie had been walking to meet friends at the end of the school day when the defendant, who was 14 at the time, attacked him with a 5in (13cm) kitchen knife he had brought from home.

Mr Hassall said a post-mortem examination revealed the fatal stab injury was a 5.5in (14cm)-deep wound to Alfie's chest, which punctured his heart.

"As we understand it, [the defendant] will accept that Alfie was killed by the knife from his kitchen drawer at home, but will say that, at all times, he was acting in self-defence," he added.

The trial continues.