Yousef Makki: Murder accused in tears as he describes stabbing

Boy A said he did not realise he had stabbed Yousef Makki

A teenager accused of murder wept as he told a jury he did not realise he had stabbed his friend in the heart.

Yousef Makki, 17, was fatally stabbed on 2 March in a row over a botched attempt to rob a drug dealer, Manchester Crown Court has heard.

Boy A, the alleged killer, and Boy B, both 17, deny charges relating to his death in Hale Barns, Cheshire.

Describing the row, Boy A said he was "annoyed" that Yousef taunted him but he did not mean to harm his friend.

Boy A, who along with Boy B cannot be named for legal reasons because of their age, denies murder and claims he acted in self-defence after Yousef pulled a knife on him, the court has heard.

'Annoyed' at insult

Answering questions from his barrister, Alistair Webster QC, the Boy A said his memory of the fatal incident was "spotty" and he had "not been able to come to terms with what happened".

He told the court he said to Boy B and Yousef he wanted to go home after a failed plan to steal cannabis had led to him being beaten up, and he became angry when Yousef insulted him.

The teenager was stabbed in Cheshire village Hale Barns

Boy A said he responded through frustration by pushing Yousef, who threw a punch.

Wiping tears from his eyes in the witness box, the youth said he "didn't want to get beaten up again" and was "quite on edge".

"So then I started to take the knife out of my pocket," he said.

Describing the stabbing, he told the court: "I don't really know what I did, kind of lifted my arm up. I didn't realise anything had happened at first."

Boy A said he went into a "panic" when Yousef called out that he had been stabbed.

He said he wouldn't have reached for his knife had Yousef not taken his out.

'Lied to police'

Asked by Mr Webster whether he had intended to stab Yousef or cause him harm, he said he had not.

He admitted lying to police at the scene be saying he did not know what had happened.

"I didn't really know what to do. Once I said that, I kind of kept on going with it," he said.

Boy A has admitted perverting the course of justice and possessing a flick knife.

Boy B, denies perverting the course of justice and has admitted possessing a flick knife.

Both deny conspiracy to rob.

The trial continues.