'My son’s killed someone' - murder-accused mum's 999 call after Somerset stabbing
The 999 call made by the mum of a man accused of murdering a Somerset teenager has been played during his murder trial.
Joshua Delbono, 19, admits stabbing 16-year-old Charley Bates in Radstock in July last year but denies the schoolboy's murder and is on trial at Bristol Crown Court.
During day one of the trial today (27 March), the jury was told the stabbing followed a fight between the teenager's two groups of friends at around 6.30pm on 31 July last year.
The court heard that Delbono later drove to Shearwater Lake where he threw away the knife and burnt some of his clothes. He then returned to his mother's home in Frome.
Delbono's mother made a 999 call in which she said: "My son’s killed someone."
She later passed the phone to her son, who told the operator: "I don’t know anything about him at all. I went in to help my mate. I thought 'I’m not getting stabbed'."
Prosecuting barrister Adam Vaitilingam said Delbono was provided police with a prepared statement in which he admitted he had stabbed Charley but denied that he intended to cause him serious injury.
The court heard Delbono was in one of two cars which turned up at the car park. Charley and a group of friends were already there.
Witnesses said Charley went to talk to the occupants of the first car and an argument started. One of the men in the car got out and a fight started. This escalated, with others getting involved. The court heard Delbono then got out of the second car with a knife and stabbed Charley.
The court heard that Charley went to the car park with a bag in which he had a knife and a BB gun. He did not take the bag when he went to speak with the people in the car.
Delbono said he saw one of Charley's friends had a knife in his waistband and decided to get out of the car when he saw this teenager put his hand on the handle.
"I instinctively grabbed the knife in the heat of the moment," Delbono said in a statement read in court.
The trial continues.