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Petrified 14-year-old 'ran pleading for help before gang killed him'
Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent2 Jun 2008
A terrified 14-year-old killed in a London knife attack begged a bystander for help as he f led from a mob of teenagers, the Old Bailey heard today.
Witness Tom Morgan told the court how stab victim Martin Dinnegan ran past him pleading: "Please help me."
MrMorgan said he saw the petrified boy hold his hands out in an attempt to placate one of his pursuers but Martin was felled by a punch to the head.
His attacker then pinned him to the ground and made repeated stabbing motions towards his back, the court heard.
Mr Morgan and his girlfriend rang 999 and, in a tape recording played to the jury, told the operator: "There is a white guy and a massive group of black guys who are kicking the crap out of him."
Two men and two youths have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Martin in Holloway in June last year.
Aftab Jafferjee QC, prosecuting, has told the jury how Martin was beaten to the ground and stabbed in Tollington Way "in a case that moved from dirty looks to death within an hour".
Mr Morgan gave evidence today from behind screens to shield his face from the dock and the public gallery.
He told how he and his girlfriend had been on their way to get a DVD from a rental store when the boy he later recognised as Martin, wearing a grey tracksuit and hood, ran towards them.
"He was very white faced, he was sprinting towards us and shouted: 'Help me, please help me,'" Mr Morgan said.
"He ran past us on the road to my left then a guy with a black tracksuit went past on a large-framed BMX. He was cycling after the victim and was the distance of one parked car away from us.
"He was very dark skinned although I was unable to see his face as he was wearing a black hooded jumper with the hood pulled up.
"He dropped the bike when he got alongside-the victim. Martin stood still and put his hands up as if to placate the cyclist. Martin appeared scared, very scared.
"The effect on the cyclist was almost nothing whatsoever and the next thing was that a large haymaker came from his right fist. It was a right hook and the blow connected with Martin's head or neck."
At this point Mr Morgan's attention was distracted by another youth sprinting up and shouting, the court heard.
"I looked back up the road and Martin was on the floor now," Mr Morgan said. "It looked as if the first assailant was leaning on top of Martin who was on his back and side facing away from us.
"The first assailant was leaning with all his weight on Martin's shoulder and upper arm pressing him to the floor so that Martin seemed to be pinned to the floor. Then I saw what seemed to be a stabbing motion rather than a punching motion four or five times in very rapid succession."
Mr Morgan explained that he had not seen a knife but, as he was experienced in martial arts and disarming those armed with knives, he could identify the difference between a punching and stabbing action, which he demonstrated to the jury.
He then told how a crowd of up to 20 people aged "between 10 and 20" started "laying into" Martin.
Mr Morgan rang 999 at 8.38pm, telling the operator that it looked as though one of the attackers had a knife.
Martin, a pupil at St Aloysius College in Archway, died at the scene.
Rene John-Baptiste, 21, of Plaistow, Sean Clark, 19, of Holloway, and a 16-yearold from Finsbury Park and a 17-year-old from Holloway, who cannot be named because of their ages, have all pleaded not guilty to murder.
The case continues.
