Ipswich murder trial: Woman attempted CPR on stabbing victim

Jurors have heard how Raymond James Quigley was stabbed with a machete in Ipswich town centre

Jurors have been told about frantic attempts to save a teenager who was allegedly murdered in a town centre.

Raymond Quigley, 18, known as James, of Wymondham, Norfolk, was stabbed to death in Westgate Street, Ipswich, on 17 January.

Alfie Hammett, 19, from Rushmere St Andrew and Joshua Howell, 18, from Ipswich, are on trial and deny murder.

In a police interview, witness Lasharne Beaton described how she could not find a pulse and tried to administer CPR.

'Saturated'

The jury at Ipswich Crown Court heard that Ms Beaton was with a friend at the front window of the neighbouring Starbucks when two people ran past.

Ms Beaton described one of the men as "a white male carrying a curved silver machete... the machete was very big, not hard to miss".

She told police she got out of her seat as soon as she saw the knife and ran across to a card shop opposite.

Referring to the victim she said: "He went into the shop because he couldn't run anymore, before bending over the counter and passing out backwards."

"He took a big hit," she continued, and added that she saw blood coming out of the righthand side of his head.

According to Ms Beaton, Mr Quigley told a staff member in the card shop that he had been stabbed, and his top was "completely saturated with blood".

"He stopped breathing and I tried to find a pulse. He was still. I started to panic and that's when I started to give him CPR," she added.

In another police interview that was played in court, a separate witness described seeing Mr Quigley being "pushed to the floor" by three people before his attacker stabbed him twice.

The trial is expected to continue until January 2024.