Reece Radford stabbed to death in Sheffield after protecting girl from attack - court

Reece Radford, 26, was stabbed in the early hours of 29 September and died later in hospital

A passer-by was stabbed to death after stepping in to protect a girl he saw being attacked, a court has heard.

Reece Radford, 26, was knifed in the heart during a fight with Dereck Owusu and Louis James in Sheffield, the trial at the city's crown court was told.

It was said he intervened after seeing Mr Owusu punching a 17-year-old girl to the ground at a city centre bus stop in the early hours of 29 September.

Mr James, 47, and Mr Owusu, 39, each deny his murder.

The defendants had been out drinking and gambling at a casino in Sheffield before encountering the girl, who they knew, at a bus stop on Arundel Gate, the jury heard.

Prosecutor David Temkin KC, opening the trial on Thursday, said the men shared some whisky with the teenager and stayed talking and drinking with her until "for an unknown reason, violence broke out".

One witness saw the girl punching one of the defendants in the face, the court heard, while Mr Owusu was seen striking the teenager in the face "with such force that she fell to the ground".

'Two against one'

The prosecutor told the jury Mr Radford, who had been out in Sheffield with friends that night, witnessed the girl being knocked down and approached the defendants.

Mr Temkin said: "The prosecution say he did so in order to protect a young female who he had just seen being punched by Mr Owusu, and so Mr Radford intervened and punched Owusu in the face.

"As a result of that, both of the defendants and Mr Radford started fighting. It was two against one."

The jury were shown CCTV footage of the brawl spilling out on to the street.

Mr Temkin said "witnesses saw punches being thrown and heard the sound of the men arguing" before the fighting stopped suddenly and Mr Radford fell to the ground and told a friend he had been stabbed.

Mr Radford had stopped breathing by the time emergency services arrived and was in cardiac arrest as he reached Northern General Hospital by ambulance.

He underwent surgery but was pronounced dead on 4 October. A pathologist concluded the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.

Reece Radford was stabbed to death on Arundel Gate in Sheffield city centre

The defendants were both arrested in Sheffield city centre on the night of the stabbing.

The court heard Mr James told police the fight broke out after Mr Radford approached the men asking for drugs and used racist slurs.

Mr Temkin said Mr James had admitted being in possession of a knife during the fight and claimed to have armed himself "in self-defence" as he believed Mr Radford was about to reach for a weapon.

But the defendant denied stabbing Mr Radford or seeing anyone else doing so, the prosecutor said.

The trial continues.