Harlow dad Max Richardson killed in machete attack 'without warning', court told

A “defenceless” dad was stabbed to death with a machete-style knife after asking a man what he was doing near his home, a court was told.

Max Richardson, 35, was fatally attacked last August "with a forceful blow without any warning” from the knife in Joyners Field in Harlow, Essex.

Tieran Carmody, 19, of Berecroft in Harlow, is standing trial for Mr Richardson's murder at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Prosecutors said Carmody had been hanging around near Mr Richardson's home on 21 August and was questioned by a group of adults.

An altercation ensued and Mr Richardson was punched and knocked to the ground, after which Carmody walked back to his bike, took out a machete and approached him again, the court was told.

The group then raised their hands into the air.

“They were surrendering,” Mr Jackson, prosecuting, told jurors. “It demonstrated that they did not have any intention of harming the man who had a machete. The defendant had every intention of himself causing harm with that machete.“He walked past [neighbour Mark Campbell] with the machete and said to him he was not going to ‘f*** him up’. He walked to Mr Richardson who had got to his feet and had his hands in the air. He was defenceless.”

The fatal stabbing took place in front of a young child, the court was told.

Carmody had been seen in the area four days before the attack, said prosecutors, who believe that he was seeking "to buy or sell some drugs".

The court was shown footage of the altercation between Carmody and the group, with onlookers in the public gallery weeping as the video was played.

At one stage a voice could be heard screaming: "He's got a knife."

“At the point Carmody chose to arm himself with that lethal machete that he had taken with him that night, he chose quite deliberately to kill Max Richardson or cause him very serious harm.“This was not done in self-defence as there was no attack and there had never been one. There was no need for him to defend himself. It was a calculated decision to show that no-one should question Carmody about what he was doing. It was an act of revenge.”

Carmody then cycled away and spent the night at home, the prosecutor said.

The following day, he travelled to his friend Harrison Barnett elsewhere in Essex.

Barnett, of St Mary's Crescent in Basildon, is accused of perverting the course of justice by allegedly helping Carmody avoid arrest for six days.

Barnett was described by the prosecution as being “quite willing to help with some effort”.

Analysis of a phone registered to him found internet searches for news coverage of Mr Richardson’s death as well as a search for places that someone could travel to without a passport.

“Harrison Barnett had shown a clear interest in what Tieran Carmody had done,” Mr Jackson said.

“Even at the 11th hour when he knew the game was up he tried to plan to get Tieran Carmody out of the country.”

The trial at Chelmsford Crown Court continues.

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