[Politics] Jack Lowe: Murder-accused youth 'scared and in shock after stabbing'

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Jack Norton, also known as Jack Lowe, was stabbed to death

By Josh Sandiford

BBC News, West Midlands

A youth accused of murder has insisted he did not threaten his alleged victim and was "shocked" at his stabbing.

 

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, is being tried over the murder of Jack Norton.

 

Also known as Jack Lowe, the 18-year-old died in an area of grassland, locally known as Cookie Park, in Darlaston, on 7 December 2022.

 

The youth and co-defendant Brandon Price, 19, both from Walsall, deny murder and having a knife.

 

The prosecution argued while Mr Price, aged 18 at the time, was the one who stabbed Jack, his co-defendant, 15 at the time, was also responsible after "egging him on".Mr Price told Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday he had fatally wounded Jack but insisted he acted in self-defence following an "argument".

 

He said said he pulled out a knife after Jack tried to hit him with a bottle, stabbing him without realising.

 

'Shocked and scared'

On Monday, the youth denied giving Mr Price the knife.

 

He also denied accusations by two of Jack's friends, who witnessed the alleged attack, that he had been making threats towards the 18-year-old that night.

 

The youngster told the court he did not know why Mr Price stabbed Jack.

 

He insisted he had been walking off to go home when the incident happened and described feeling "shocked and scared" afterwards.

 

'Ran away laughing'

The youth denied he had been "cheering or whooping" following the incident but suggested he could have been picked up in an audio clip saying the word "kill" moments after Jack was stabbed.

 

He said: "I was in shock and I was scared so I was shouting [at Brandon] 'you killed him, you killed him'."

 

Rachel Brand KC, prosecuting, rejected the youth's version of events and suggested he had spent the whole evening threatening Jack.

 

"You wound up Brandon and you gave him a knife because you wanted [him] to stab Jack Norton," Ms Brand said.

 

"That's what you wanted all along because for some reason you got it into your head that you had some grudge against him.

 

"You ran away laughing, I suggest, and you stayed with Brandon rather than going home because the two of you had been in it together all along."

 

Both the prosecution and defence were expected to make their closing arguments on Tuesday before the judge summed up the evidence.

 

The trial continues.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-67477045