12/06/2012

Court Shown Video Of Teens Death

A jury at the Old Bailey has been shown mobile phone video footage of a London teenager allegedly murdering 14-year-old Leroy James.

In the 15-second video Leroy is seen arguing with the defendant, now 15, in a park at Ponders End in Enfield, north London, last August.

The video was recorded on Leroy's own phone, the court was told.

Describing the incident the court heard that Leroy had emptied his pockets, giving a girl his phone before squaring up to the defendant, then 14, as other children egged them on.

But as the pair started to fight, the jury heard that the defendant kept his right hand in a trouser pocket.

Moments later, Leroy's white T-shirt became stained with his blood after he sustained a knife wound to his heart.

Surrounding youngsters called out to him that he had been "bored", and he suddenly collapsed.

The footage ended with a close up of him lying on his back, moments from death.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny told the jury there had been bad feeling between the boys, possibly about a girl, and others were egging them on to fight.

"To those who were watching what was expected to be a fist fight transpired to be anything but," said Mr Penny.

The defendant, who cannot be identified because of his age, denies murder and having a knife as an offensive weapon.

(H)

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