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'We saw boy fleeing gang the night Martin, 14, died'
Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent30.05.08
A pack of teenagers was seen chasing a lone youth through the streets on the night a 14-year-old was stabbed to death, the Old Bailey heard today.
Martin Dinnegan was run down and knifed in the back after giving a "dirty look" to a street gang in north London, the jury has been told.
Two witnesses, who spoke from behind a curtain, said they heard screaming and shouting in the street outside their Holloway homes the night Martin was killed.
They looked out of their windows and saw a group of up to 15 teenagers, many wearing hoodies, running past. Claire Schofield said she also saw a smaller white boy with brown hair fleeing them.
"There were a couple on BMX-type bikes. They were running towards Tollington Way. They seemed in a hurry to get somewhere," Ms Schofield said. The jury has heard how Martin, who was from Holloway and a pupil at St Aloysius' College, died in Tollington Way after the stabbing in June last year.
Tracey May told the court she saw the group of youths, aged between 13 and 19. She said: "They were shouting and swearing. I heard voices saying: 'Come on, we have to f****** hurry up. we have to get over there now.' They also said: 'I have had a call, come on' and 'make sure you have brought it'."
About 20 minutes later Miss May saw a similar group of youths run back and then scatter in all directions.
Rene John-Baptiste, 21 of Plaistow, Sean Clark, 19 of Holloway, a 16-year-old from Finsbury Park and a 17-year-old from Hollway all deny murdering Martin.
The case continues.
