Gordon Gault: Murder accused says co-defendant told him ‘he stabbed someone’

A teenager has told a jury at Newcastle Crown Court that his co-defendant told him “he stabbed someone”, shortly after schoolboy, Gordon Gault, had been fatally injured.

Gordon Gault was 14 when he was stabbed in Newcastle’s westend on 9 November 2022, before dying six days later in hospital.

Giving evidence in his defence, Lawson Natty, 18, told the court he was carrying a machete in his trousers when the incident happened, adding that he had given a second machete to his "best friend", Carlos Neto.

Mr Natty accepted that it was wrong to carry a machete in public on that evening, but denied using it to injure anyone and denied intending to kill or injure Gordon Gault and another boy, telling the jury he had kept the weapon in his trousers during the whole incident.

He explained that he “disposed” of his machete in a wooded area shortly after the incident.

He told the jury it was at this point "I found out someone had been stabbed. Carlos told me he stabbed someone".

Mr Natty told the jury he had "no involvement in any attack", claiming that he was "running away" when it happened.

Asked by his defence barrister, Ben Nolan KC: "When Gordon Gault was injured, where were you?" Natty replied: "I didn't even see it happen, so I don't know."

When asked if he saw Carlos Neto and Gordon Gault coming together, he added: "I didn't see the stabbing of Gordon Gault, no. I was not looking back, I was just running away".

The court had heard earlier how Mr Natty had bought two machetes online out of “fear”, because Carlos Neto had been stabbed in the bottom and there had been an incident at his school in July 2022, whereby masked youths, armed with knives were allegedly trying to find someone.

He told the jury “I didn’t want to be attacked if I was walking by myself, so I wanted to buy a knife”.

Earlier the court heard how Mr Natty was a promising drill rapper, who had some success with his music videos, attracting around “30,000” hits on social media posts, including one entitled “Bellingham”, which was about the England footballer, Jude Bellingham.

The court heard he had also passed his A-levels whilst on bail and was hoping to go to university in Manchester, Birmingham or London to study International business management.

When cross examined, the prosecuting barrister, Jonathan Sandiford KC, put it to him that he was in the area of Newcastle that night seeking "revenge". He replied: "no".

He denied seeing Gordon Gault and another boy as an opportunity to attack them and when asked about why his drill rap lyrics were violent in nature, he told the jury they were an "exaggeration” and “not real".

Mr Sandiford KC then retorted: "they were real enough on the 9 November, though, weren't they?"

Mr Natty replied: "I didn't even see the stabbing".

Lawson Natty, Carlos Neto, Benedict Mbala, Daniel Lacerda and two boys aged 16 and 17 all deny murdering Gordon Gault and wounding with intent another boy and the trial continues.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...