Boy on trial for murder held knife which killed teenager Joshua Hall, court told

A boy on trial for the murder of 17-year-old Joshua Hall has admitted holding the knife which killed him - but denies murder.

Joshua Hall died after being stabbed outside a sports centre in Cam, Gloucestershire, in April of this year.

A 16-year-old boy - who cannot be named for legal reasons - is on trial for murder at Gloucestershire Crown Court.

Jurors have heard the boy believed Joshua had insulted him and members of his family. They had originally met up at a field intending to sort out their differences.

The defendant is accused of pulling out a knife and stabbing Joshua.

Despite the efforts of an air ambulance team - who carried out emergency surgery in the field to restart Joshua's heart - he later died in hospital.

When asked by Edward Brown QC, who is defending the teenager, if he had held the knife which caused Joshua's death, the boy simply replied 'yes'.

During day eight of the trial on Wednesday 27 October, the defendant told the jury about the events that led up to the fatal stabbing of Joshua.

“It was a period of on/off with online lessons replacing the classroom," he explained.

“When I didn’t go to school I obtained some work experience on building sites. I used to get up very early, between 5am and 7am to go to work.

“At weekends I would go out with the few friends I have and we would walk everywhere. We would meet at the skate park and at the sports ground.

"Occasionally we would go to Stinchcombe Hill. Generally it would be just the three of us, but occasionally others would join us and we’d be a group of 10 to 12 people.

"Sometimes there would be a scuffle between us. These scraps would often be sparked by the latest rumours doing the rounds. This would often be about money or girls.

“If we argue, it can resort to shouting at each other, but it’s never much of a big deal.“There was one incident at the local recreation ground on December 12 last year when about 20 of us had gathered together when one of the group was punched in his face and his nose was broken. He had to be taken to hospital."

He said the group also had "heated discussions" which ended up being "one big argument".

Mr Brown then asked the defendant about his side business selling puff bars, the common name for disposable vapes.

The defendant said: “I would generally buy puff bars in bulk and sell them locally to people, generally of my own age in the Dursley area.”

Mr Brown then asked the youth about his connection with a man in his early 30s.

The defendant replied: “I first came across him two years ago. I found him quite threatening.

“He threatened me to punch in the face with a knuckleduster. I knew from then on that he was a dangerous person."

The defendant said the man was known as the "local bully" and said he last met him while out selling vapes about six weeks before the fatal incident.

“He stopped his car and asked me why was I selling on his strip? I tried to tell him I wasn’t selling drugs. I giggled, mainly because I was frightened," he said.

“He tried to reach into my back pocket to try and grab my wallet, but he stopped because there were too many people around. He warned me, ‘I’ll wait until you are alone'.”

The trial continues.