Danny Humble: Attack victim threw first punch, murder accused says

Danny Humble died in hospital a day after being attacked

A 17-year-old boy accused of the murder of a man has told jurors the victim threw the first punch.

Danny Humble, 35, suffered "catastrophic" head injuries in a 15-second attack in Cramlington on 29 May 2021, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Jurors have previously heard he was attacked by a group of teenagers after they exchanged jokes about him looking like one of the TV duo Ant and Dec.

Five defendants aged 17 and 18 deny murder.

The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, said the group had been in a good mood on the night in question.

In response to his lawyer, Peter Makepeace QC, the boy said he had spoken to a lot of people that night as he liked "speaking to new people when I'm drunk".

He said he had been drinking before leaving The Plough pub at about 00:30 GMT with a large group of people.

He said he saw Mr Humble's partner, Adele Stubbs, standing on her own which he thought was "a bit weird", so he went over to ask if she was all right.

She told him she was waiting for her boyfriend, so the boy asked what his name was then, when she told him, he beckoned Mr Humble to join them.

'Hard punch'

The boy, then 16, said there were no problems as the couple and his group walked off towards the underpass.

He told Mr Humble "you look like Ant or Dec" which made the couple laugh, with Ms Stubbs saying he "gets that all the time".

He said he had not meant any offence and both Mr Humble and his partner took the comment well.

The jury was told that as the boy left the underpass, he was pushed from behind on to a grassy bank and turned to find Mr Humble behind him.

He said he was punched "hard" in the face and, fearing a second blow, he threw a punch back at Mr Humble's head.

'Funny noises'

Someone else then pushed Mr Humble, who stumbled over to the ground and the defendant said he could not recall what happened next.

"I didn't see anything, it was just a blur and was over in what felt like a few seconds," he told the court.

Mr Humble was unconscious on the ground but the group thought he had just been "knocked out".

One put him the recovery position while an ambulance was called which the boy "definitely" remembered doing.

"I was scared because he wasn't waking up and he was making funny noises," he told jurors, adding: "Someone opened his eyes and they were not moving. Everyone was panicking."

Jurors have been told the attack was "short and sustained" and left Mr Humble with "catastrophic" head injuries.

Four 18-year-olds: Alistair Dickson, Bailey Wilson and Ethan Scott, all from Blyth, and Kyros Robinson, from Seaton Delaval, deny murder along with the 17-year-old.

The trial continues.