Jack Woodley: Murder-accused teenager 'threw punches'

Jack Woodley was repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped upon before being stabbed

A teenager accused of involvement in the murder of an 18-year-old man "threw a couple of punches", a jury heard.

The 17-year-old admitted joining in the mob attack in Houghton-le-Spring in October "to help his friends", Newcastle Crown Court was told.

Jack Woodley, 18, died from a single stab wound after being punched, kicked and stamped on by a group of youths.

One defendant, 15, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder. Nine others aged 14 to 18 deny both charges.

None of those on trial can be identified for legal reasons.

Mr Woodley was set upon in the town centre after leaving the Houghton Feast funfair on 16 October and died in hospital 26 hours later.

'Normal fights'

The court had previously heard from the 15-year-old defendant who admitted stabbing Mr Woodley but said he had not intended to hurt or kill him.

The 17-year-old said he had gone to the fair with some friends to "go on rides" and "get food".

Toby Hedworth QC, for the defence, asked his client if he had heard anything about anyone with a knife, to which he replied "never".

The boy said there was occasional fighting at the fair but they were "normal fights .... fist fights which at worst would lead to a black eye or a bruise".

Jack Woodley was attacked near the Britannia Inn in Houghton-le-Spring

When asked to explain CCTV footage of him in a huddle with three others, the defendant replied that it was the 15-year-old showing him the knife, which he said he was surprised by as no-one had mentioned it before.

He said he "didn't know what to think" when he saw the knife, but did not ask why the 15-year-old was carrying it as he "wasn't going to say anything to someone with a big knife down his trousers".

'Felt sick'

The jury was told the boy then returned to the fair and he recalled people started leaving but he did not know why.

He then left himself "to go towards Houghton to get some food", he said.

When he saw the melee outside the Britannia Inn he thought it was a "group against group" fight.

The boy said he "went over and joined in because I wanted to help my friends" but his only involvement was throwing "a couple of punches".

He told the court that when "one of the girls there mentioned he'd [Mr Woodley] been stabbed ... I ran away, I was shocked".

The teenager said he got a call from the 15-year-old the next day asking if he had heard about the stabbing: "He told me that he'd done it and asked me to help get rid of the knife.

"I told him 'definitely not'."

A 15-year-old boy admits stabbing Jack Woodley with a 25cm-long knife

He added that he "felt sick" to think that someone had died. When asked "sick for whom?" he said: "Well, for him."

'Defending friend'

Another defendant, who was 17 at the time, said he got involved after seeing his 16-year-old friend, who is also accused of murder, run up and punch Mr Woodley triggering the melee.

The youth, now aged 18, said he threw two punches at Mr Woodley but he was not sure if they connected.

When asked by his barrister Leonard Smith QC why he attacked, the youth replied: "To help my friends. It looked as if [the 16-year-old] was in trouble and he was my friend."

The teenager said there were a lot of people and it looked like a fight between two groups, his friends and those of Mr Woodley's.

He said he went to punch Mr Woodley "to try and defend myself and [the 16-year-old]".

He also said he had been with the 15-year-old earlier when the confessed killer showed several of the group the knife down his trousers.

The youth said he was "shocked" and one of his friends asked the boy: "Are you crazy?"

When asked how he felt about the group attack on Mr Woodley, the boy said he was "shocked at what happened".

Mr Smith asked him what he thought when he heard Mr Woodley had died, to which the youth replied: "[It] made me feel even worse. I couldn't sleep because of it."

The trial continues.