Teenager tells Holly Newton murder trial he was stabbed trying to save Hexham schoolgirl

A teenager has told a court he was stabbed trying to save schoolgirl Holly Newton after hearing her scream for help.

Holly, 15, was allegedly killed by a boy who was carrying a kitchen knife in a confrontation in Hexham, Northumberland.

The defendant, who is now 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, denies murdering Holly and wounding the teenager with intent and the alternative of unlawful wounding. He has admitted manslaughter and having a bladed article.

On Tuesday, Newcastle Crown Court heard from the teenager who had been with Holly in Hexham since they had finished school that day. They had gone to order food at the Pizza Pizza takeaway in the town but had not realised a then-16-year-old had been following them around the town for around 45 minutes.

The boy came out of the pizza shop and saw the defendant, who he did not know, had turned up and was talking to Holly outside.

He said he became aware Holly and the defendant had gone into the alley next to the shop and then heard her screaming for help. He said he saw the defendant on top of her landing blows with a knife which caused 36 wounds.

A police interview with the teenager was played to the court.

"He said he just wanted to talk," the boy told police. "They were talking for a couple of minutes.

"Holly asked me to see how long the food was going to be."

He said when he came back out they were in the alley next to the shop and he heard Holly screaming for help and saying "please stop, get off me".

He added: "I came running outside as fast as I could to see him on top of her. I couldn't see exactly what was happening because it was dark.

"I ran over and put him in a headlock. I felt him swing, obviously that must have been when I got stabbed."

He then dialled 999 and sought help from inside the pizza shop.

The teenager told the court that the defendant appeared "calm, chilled" as he sat in the bus stop talking but then looked "really angry" when he was on top of Holly in the alley.

He said Holly seemed "p***** off, like she didn't want to talk to him" and like she was annoyed with him "by the way she was stepping backwards and forwards and the tone of her voice."

He said when he came out of the shop and heard Holly screaming: "I could see her lying on the floor with (the defendant) on top of her. It just kicked in to get him off her instantly.

"It looked like he was punching her but obviously it wasn't."

Demonstrating with a swing of his arm, he added: "He was just going bang, bang, bang. Holly was screaming 'leave me alone'."

The boy said the defendant was swinging at him after he intervened, adding: "That's when I noticed he had a knife and I was bleeding. Just a shock of pain came over me. I felt it in my leg first.

"I swung that door (of the pizza shop) open shouting 'he's got a knife, someone come to help'.

"After I rang 999 I realised I had been stabbed in the side of the neck and the top of my shoulder."

He said a member of the public put the defendant, who was dressed all in black, against a wall and made him drop the knife.

Kenneth Kelly, who was working as a delivery driver at Pizza Pizza, said the teenager came into the shop to order food and was waiting outside and kept popping his head in to ask how long it would be.

Fighting back tears, Mr Kelly said: "Then he came in holding his neck and he indicated to me he had been stabbed."

Due to Mr Kelly becoming upset at reliving events, the rest of his statement was read to the court.

He said: "He was holding the right side of his neck. He moved his hand away from his neck and there was a puncture wound to his neck but there was not much blood.

"He indicated there was an incident taking place in the alley." Mr Kelly said he went outside with his torch and added: "Before shining my torch I could see a dark bundle on the floor.

"I then shone my torch and saw someone astride someone lying on the floor. The person on top was doing a stabbing motion."

He said he and another man passing by shouted at the attacker but said he didn't appear bothered about their presence and continued stabbing. He said he and the other man rushed forward to get him off the victim.

Mr Kelly added: "He had his left hand on them and his right hand he was lifting high up then bringing down hard in a stabbing motion. He didn't look up and made no attempt to get away.

"I got the impression nothing was going to stop him and if people didn't intervene he would still be there doing the same thing."

Mr Kelly said the other man - James Westlake - picked the defendant up and pinned him against a wall and he went to assist the person on the ground.

"It was then I realised it was a girl in a school uniform," he said. "She was lying on her back with her hands by her side. She was struggling to breathe and lifting her head up."

Mr Westlake was walking past the alley with his then-fiance and dog when he became aware of something happening down the alley. He said a boy came out of the alley "panicked" and saying he needed help.

He told the court he became aware of another man, Mr Kelly, next to him shining his torch and he saw a girl underneath a male with her hair over her face and said the boy was on top of her, overpowering and hitting her.

He added that the girl was saying "help me" or "help" and he ran into the alley and grabbed the attacker and pinned him against a wall. Mr Westlake told the court: "He didn't say anything, he was quiet, just very blank, not talking."

He said the defendant made some effort to get away from him and he ended up putting him on the ground, where he restrained him with his foot on his chest while holding the arm that hold of the knife with both hands.

He added: "I think once he realised he was not going to get away from he restraining him, he said 'she was horrible to me' or 'she was awful to me." He started to show emotion at that point, his voice was wavering."

The defendant, denies murder, wounding with intent and the alternative of unlawful wounding. He has admitted manslaughter and having a bladed article.

The trial continues.

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