Alfie Lewis murder trial: Jury told teenager killed as pupils left school in Horsforth

A teenager was stabbed to death after going to meet friends who were leaving school, a court has been told.

Alfie Lewis, 15, was attacked in front of pupils and adults on a street in the Horsforth area of Leeds on 7 November last year, Leeds Crown Court heard.

A 15-year-old boy, who was 14 at the time and cannot be named because of his age, is on trial charged with murder.

Opening the prosecution case, Craig Hassall KC, said: "This tragic case arises out of the killing of a child by another child. Both the deceased and the defendant were school children in year 10 when it happened."

The court heard Alfie and the defendant knew each other.

On a previous occasion Alfie had become involved in an incident after the defendant allegedly struck a girl he knew during a fight with another boy.

On 31 October – a week before he was fatally stabbed – the defendant allegedly threw a lit firework at Alfie.

Mr Hassall said: "Alfie had run away from the firework but once it had gone off, he approached [the defendant] and took the rest of his fireworks from him."

On the day of Alfie's death, the defendant was said to be acting "normally" and had said nothing about Alfie.

But as he left school, he pursued Alfie, the court was told.

Alfie was heard to say "chill out" before being stabbed in the chest and thigh close to St Margaret's Church of England Primary School.

The knife was then discarded on Church Lane, the court was told.

'Self defence' claim

The defendant then returned to his home and went upstairs to change clothes, but was arrested by police an hour after Alfie was stabbed.

Jurors heard the teenager has pleaded guilty to possession of a knife, but denies murder.

Mr Hassall said: "As we understand it, [the defendant] will accept that Alfie was killed by the knife from his kitchen drawer at home, but he will say that he was at all times acting in self defence."

He added: "We, the prosecution, say [the defendant] had numerous opportunities to seek help if he genuinely feared an attack from Alfie, yet he told nobody about any specific threat of which he was aware...There were options...He could have gone home an entirely different way.

"When he saw Alfie he went directly towards him, one witness describing him as sprinting towards him. He sought no assistance from any of the numerous bystanders that there were. And all of the eye witness accounts that you will hear, suggest that this attack was offensive rather than in any sense defensive."

The trial continues.

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