Dylan Holliday murder accused felt under attack, jurors hear

Dylan Holliday was pronounced dead at Northampton General Hospital after being stabbed

A teenager accused of murdering a 16-year-old has told a jury he used a knife because he felt "under attack".

Dylan Holliday, 16, died after being stabbed 13 times in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in August 2021.

A 17-year-old defendant told a court Dylan was "swinging" an arm that was in a cast and that he struck out at Dylan to "keep him away from me".

He and another teenager, also 17, deny murdering Dylan and the attempted murder of another teen.

Prosecutors at Coventry Crown Court have previously told the trial that both defendants were wearing balaclavas and had planned to attack Dylan.

Giving evidence, the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he and the other defendant were near an underpass on the Queensway estate.

He said he saw two other people in another underpass and shouted out "something like 'yo'".

The defendant said the other boys started "coming towards us" with the "one in the cast" in front.

"I seen the one in the cast... he was using his left arm like he was going into his waistband," he said.

Dylan Holliday died after being stabbed on the Queensway estate

He told the court when they were about an "arm's length" away Dylan "started swinging the arm that was in the cast at me".

"I stepped back and pulled the knife with the sheath out of my side," he said.

He told jurors that Dylan "was still coming after me" and he then pulled the knife out of the sheath, adding "I thought it was going to scare him away".

The boy said he struck at Dylan to try to keep him away but "he was still swinging his arm in a cast towards me".

He said that after about 30 seconds Dylan turned around and ran off, and said before this he had not seen any injuries or blood.

More from the trial:

• Murder accused carried knives aged 13, jury hears

• Teenager told 999 operator 'I'm dying', jury hears

Asked by his defence barrister Benjamin Aina QC if he knew how many times the knife had entered Dylan's body, the boy responded: "No."

When Mr Aina further asked why he had used the knife, the boy responded: "I thought I was under attack."

He said he then saw his friend, the other defendant being punched by the boy with Dylan, so struck out at him for the "protection of my friend".

He told jurors it was not his intention to kill or seriously harm Dylan or the other boy.

The court has heard the defendant was driven to Wellingborough from an out-of-county home by care workers on the day of the stabbing.

The boy told jurors care workers did not know he had a knife when he left "because I didn't want them to know I had a knife", and that he had it for "protection".

The trial continues.