Tomasz Oleszak: Murder accused pulled knife to scare attackers

Tomasz Oleszak died in hospital the day after he was injured

A teenager accused of murdering a 14-year-old boy pulled out a knife to scare off a group intent on attacking him, a court has heard.

Tomasz Oleszak died in hospital a day after being stabbed in a Gateshead park in October.

The 15-year-old defendant, who was 14 at the time, has denied murder and an attempted wounding of another boy.

Newcastle Crown Court was told the accused accepted he stabbed Tomasz but denied that it was intentional.

Jurors heard the boy, who cannot be named, was walking with a 14-year-old girl who told him they were being followed, which had made him "nervous" and "very scared".

CCTV footage showed the pair being pursued into Whitehills Nature Park by eight boys and two girls shortly after 20:00 BST on 3 October.

The boy said he heard "heavy footsteps" but carried on walking before something hit him on the back of his head, causing him to stumble.

Tomasz's family moved to the UK from Poland in 2012

He turned and shouted at the group in a bid to "make myself look bigger", adding: "I thought if I started shouting they would have thought 'we'll leave him alone'."

He said the group walked towards him saying "howay then" before "we all came together and started fighting".

When asked by his barrister, Peter Makepeace QC, how he was fighting, the boy replied: "Just throwing my arms all over the place. I was just trying my best to fight back the best I could."

The boy was grappled to the ground at which point he pulled out a "small kitchen knife" he had taken from his home, the jury heard.

When asked why he did that, he replied: "I couldn't say exactly, I felt maybe if I pulled it out and they know I've got it they might leave us alone."

'He's got a knife'

He said he began swinging his arm then heard some of his attackers shout to run and the group fled.

He thought might have "cut" or "slashed" someone as one of the group appeared to be "limping" as they ran away.

Jurors have heard Tomasz suffered a fatal stab wound while another boy had his jacket slashed.

The defendant said he accepted he stabbed Tomasz but denied that was his intention.

Mr Makepeace asked: "Why did you throw your arms around with a knife in your hand?"

"To try and make it present that I had the knife, as if one of them saw it they'd think 'he actually has got a knife'," he replied.

'Reassurance'

Under cross-examination, the defendant said it was a "last minute decision" to take a steak knife as he left his home at about 17:00.

The boy said he knew it was "dangerous" and illegal but he took it for "reassurance".

Prosecutor Mark McKone QC asked what he wanted to be reassured about. "Just about everything," he replied.

He denied feeling "excited" by having a weapon and insisted he was "nervous" when he pocketed it.

"My intentions weren't to take the knife out my pocket," he told the court.

The teenager denied he was expecting trouble or intent on "revenge" for a previous insult aimed at the girl by a member of the group.

'Petrified'

Jurors heard after the brawl the boy asked a friend where he could "put" the knife before hiding it in bushes.

He then got his mum to pick him up. He told her he had been in a fight but kept the full story from her because "I didn't want her to worry", he said.

At home, he exchanged messages with his friend and said he would retrieve the knife and have it "melted".

He admitted lying to other friends who contacted him about the fight, claiming he was "in denial" and "petrified".

He was arrested two days later but gave "no comment" replies in three police interviews on the advice of his solicitor, he said.

The trial previously heard Tomasz, who moved to the UK from Poland in 2012, was fatally stabbed during unrest between a large group of youths.

One witness told police the defendant was "bouncing all over" after the stabbing and "seemed happy" to have stabbed Tomasz, jurors have heard.

The trial continues.