Jahziah Coke: Prosecution and defence in Oldbury school boy murder trial make final submissions to jury
Final submissions are being made in the case of Jahziah Coke who was fatally stabbed in a house in Oldbury last year.
The case at Wolverhampton Crown Court is now into its fifth week and the jury on Monday heard final submissions from both prosecution and defence before they will be sent out to consider their verdict.
Thirteen year old Jahziah died at an address in Oldbury on August 29 last year - it can't be revealed due to media restrictions imposed by presiding judge Mrs Justice Tipples
A teenager, who can't be named because of his age, denies murder. A man in his 40s, who also cannot be named, additionally stands trial, and denies assisting an offender.
The prosecution allege the defendant inflicted a six-inch deep stab wound on Jahziah, fled over fences and then caught a bus to a friend’s house to play video games.
Kevin Hegarty KC, prosecuting said it was their submission that Jahziah was bleeding heavily when a 999 call was made and that he had three wounds to his torso "caused by one or more sharp knives".
Earlier he told the court that paramedics went into the house through a side door, into the kitchen and into the hall where they found Jahziah who was "the only person in the house".
But defence counsel Paul Lewis KC said their case was that the 13-year-old and the defendant had fell out in a row over cannabis and the argument escalated, with Jahziah producing the knife.
He said: "The prosecution will say, and you have heard, that it was deliberate but we say it was an argument over cannabis which started as a minor fall out and quickly escalated, with Jahziah being the one who threatened my client with the knife."
He said: "We say the defendant 'tried to wrestle it from him' before it accidentally pierced the youngster who died shortly after despite the attention of paramedics who were quickly on the scene.
Summing up in the case is expected to continue into Tuesday.
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