Teenager accused of murdering Dylan Holliday claims self defence
Teenager accused of murdering Dylan Holliday claims self defence
The Dylan Holliday murder trial has heard from the accused's legal counsel today
By Sarah Ward
A teenager accused of brutally stabbing a Wellingborough boy to death claims he did so in self defence, a murder trial was told today.
Two boys, now 17, are accused of murdering 16-year-old Dylan close to the Park Farm underpass on August 5 last year.
Dylan died from a fatal wound to the heart after being stabbed several times. After the attack he left the scene but fell into undergrowth near the underpass from where he called the emergency services and told them he was dying after being knifed.
The accused, who have been given anonymity, are also charged with attempting to murder another boy and possession of a knife. They deny all charges.
Yesterday the prosecution opened its case, alleging the two accused teenagers set upon Dylan and another boy and after demanding items then stabbed them both, fatally injuring Dylan. Although only one boy had a knife and admits carrying out the stabbings, the crown prosecution’s case is that both boys acted together and are both guilty.
And this afternoon the jury at Northampton Crown Court heard from the accused’s legal counsel.
Benjamin Aina QC, defending the boy who used the knife, laid out his client’s account of what happened that day and said he had acted in self defence.
He said the two accused had met shortly before the 6pm stabbing with two others close to the underpass area on the Queensway Estate in Wellingborough and had been told that some boys were dealing drugs at the underpass. The accused then borrowed the bikes of the informants and cycled over to where Dylan was stood with some others.
Benjamin Aina QC said: “He saw four males, three on foot and one was on a push bike. It appeared to (defendant 1*) that one of the males on foot passed something to the male who was on a bike who cycled away.
(Defendant 1) approached the remaining three boys. One of these boys passed something to (boy 3**) and (boy 3) at that stage ran off.
“As defendant approached the two remaining boys he shouted out a general street greeting and came off his bike. He considered he might buy cannabis from these boys. However Dylan and (other injured boy**) came towards him.
“You will have to ask why they came towards him. It may be that they were not happy with (defendant 1) being on their drug dealing patch.
“Dylan reached into his waistband and then swung his arm towards (defendant 1) several times. (Defendant 1) thought Dylan had a knife and reacted by pulling out his knife and pushing his knife towards Dylan several times”.
Benjamin Aina QC then told the jury that the accused believed the other boy he was with was under attack and so he stabbed the teenager who was with Dylan in self defence of his friend.
The accused boy’s barrister told the jury ‘he was no angel’ but had never used a knife to injure a boy before. He said in the past he had carried a knife and had used it to threaten other youths in the process of robbing their bikes.
The jury was told some of his background from the defence counsel who said the teenager had suffered traumatic events such as mistreatment, violence, had been shot at and had witnessed his home being set on fire.
The second boy’s defence counsel Kate Bex QC told the court her client did not know the other accused boy had a knife and was not part of a joint enterprise which is why he has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. She said he had no previous convictions or cautions.
The trial continues on Monday and is expected to last four weeks.
*We have used defendant instead of the accused boy’s name which was used in the barrister’s speech.
**We have used boy 3 and other injured boy due to legal rules surrounding the naming of under 18s in court proceedings.
NN Journal does not usually report on criminal court cases but has decided to do so due to the shocking nature of the crime, which happened in one of the county’s left behind areas, the Queensway estate in Wellingborough. To receive our coverage of this case and other local news sign up to our free mailing list