Teen accused of murder saw friend 'swinging' at man who later died in hospital

The young man, one of three accused accused of murdering 26-year-old Peter Cairns, who died after an attack in Silkin Way, Telford on June 11 last year.

Stafford Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the youngster, who like his co-defendants cannot be named for legal reasons, 15 years old at the time.

The three defendants are also charged with causing assault occasioning actual bodily harm to Kaine Bushell on the same day.

"I saw Peter Cairns falling back, (he) was over him, swinging at him," he said in the witness box on Tuesday. "I ran over and put my left arm out between between (him) and Peter on the floor and around his torso and he backed off.

"I realised the way he was swinging he had a knife in his hand. I wanted to stop him doing anything."

He said that when Mr Cairns had walked past there had been "nothing said, no looks, no interaction, nothing".

And when Kaine Bushell walked past, he told the court: "I wasn't paying much attention to him."

But "a few steps later Kaine said 'what are you kids staring at?'.

"I said 'are you mad?'. But not in an aggressive way, it wasn't meant in an aggressive way. He said it in a slightly aggressive way, as if I was trying to start something."

He then said one of the group he was with said "something along the lines of "show him the sword".

The teenager had been carrying a blunt Samurai sword down his jogging bottoms and under a Nike top, and North Face jacket.

"I pulled it out," he said. "I thought he (Mr Bushell) would see it and decide it wasn't worth anything and he would carry on walking."

Mr Bushell then took one or two steps and another friend "hit him with the wheel brace", the teenager said.

Then Mr Bushell "spun round, and I thought he was going to throw a punch. I swung the sword. It scared me a bit so I hit him on the back. I struck him across the back with the sword."

The jury heard the teenager say that "Kaine ran off", which is when he saw "Peter falling back."

And when he ran over to hold back his friend he said that the sword "might have hit Peter's left-hand side or the grass.

"It wasn't done intentionally or to cause any damage."

He said he had aimed "no blows at all at Peter Cairns." But had seen a "small cut" on his left arm.

"But I did not see any significant injury."

The teenagers then ran off before doubling back after seeing some people and dumping the weapons they were carrying.

"I saw blood on the sword, I panicked and put it back in the scabbard and threw it into a bush.

"I didn't understand why the blood was there."

The teen said he saw Mr Cairns "leaning on his left-hand side getting up. I definitely did not know he had been fatally injured".

When asked whether he had hurt anyone, the teenager replied: "No, no, no. I did not want any harm to come to Peter Cairns or to anyone else."

He said his friend had admitted stabbing Mr Cairns, who had been wearing an Aston Villa football top.

He had heard police cars responding to the incident but said he did not stick around because "I did not want to go back and get involved in something I wasn't involved in".

A witness who supplied a statement to police said she had overheard the teenagers being "pleased" with what had happened.

The teenager said he had been "full of adrenaline and in shock. I wasn't pleased about what had happened but I can understand how she got that impression".

He admitted that he had used the word "chopped" or "slashed" when describing what had happened to Mr Bushell.

"I was trying to big up my part in it. It was me being stupid, it is embarrassing, pathetic."

As far as the attack on Mr Cairns was concerned the teenager agreed that it was "unprovoked" when it came to Mr Cairns because "Peter did not say or do anything." He repeatedly said it was his friend who stabbed Mr Cairns.

When his friend admitted stabbing Mr Cairns in the chest he said: "My heart dropped."

And on being arrested and being interviewed for murder he said: "I was scared. I was thinking of spending a good proportion of my life in jail for something I did not do."

He admitted that he had not told the truth during interviews because he did not want some of his friends to be dragged into the mess that another teenager had created.

The court also heard that he had been drinking vodka before their small group headed out in Telford on June 11, 2021.

He said he had "drank a few cups."

"I could feel it, but I wasn't necessarily drunk."

He started hanging around with people from Woodside. But never had any argument with people on Brookside, he said.

"Looking back now, thinking how I acted, it's embarrassing, it's childish. I was trying to appear bigger than what I am."

He said they were "going to Brookside to see if anyone was there".

"I did not think anyone would be there. I thought we were going to walk down to the underpass and we would turn around and get on with our day," he continued.

"I just thought if there was anyone there, and we saw someone, that I would scare someone with it.

"I never had any intention to try to use it. I knew it was blunt. I did not think it could cause anyone harm whatsoever.

Once it had been shown, the hope was that "they would run off.

"And it anything did happen, it couldn't cause any damage. "

Answering questions from his barrister, Adrian Keeling QC, the young man said he saw one of his friends had been carrying something with a black handle that he "imagined was a knife".

But he did not imagine that his friend would use it.

The trial continues.