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‘I saw the dish being thrown ... then blood flew from my brother Jimmy’s face’
Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent16 Mar 2009
THE mother of schoolboy Jimmy Mizen wiped away tears at the Old Bailey today as his elder brother told of the teenager's death.
Jimmy died the day after his 16th birthday when his neck was gashed by a glass dish thrown by a “smirking” thug.
Jake Fahri, 19, admits throwing the dish, but claims it was self-defence.
But today, Harry Mizen, 19, told the jury: “We had not been looking for trouble, we didn't want a fight.”
Margaret Mizen, 56, listened as Harry said he had been attacked twice by Fahri at school but it was not in his mind when he went out last May with Jimmy to buy his first lottery ticket.
They went into a bakery near their home in Lee, where they found themselves in a queue behind Fahri.
He told Harry he remembered him and claimed he had “grassed” him to the police. Fahri confronted Jimmy and told him to move.
“Jimmy was a bit shocked and said, Say please and I will move out of the way',” said Harry. “Fahri became very aggressive.”
Harry tried to calm the situation, but Fahri said he would wait for them outside to give them “a slap”.
Harry said the brothers were “shocked, and scared”. He rang his elder brother, Tommy, 26.
“I was scared... I was calling for help”. Fahri stormed back into the shop and grabbed a couple of plastic bottles with which to hit Jimmy.
The brothers fought back by punching Fahri “as hard as we could” and he was forced out of the shop.
Fahri kicked the glass door in, picked up an advertising sign and “ran towards me and Jimmy, then threw it at us”. Fahri then grabbed a glass dish from the hot-food cabinet.
“I saw the dish being thrown,” said Harry. “It was thrown hard. He had both hands on the dish. I didn't see it hit Jimmy, but I turned round and saw blood flying from his face.
“Fahri ran away. I saw Tommy running past the shop after him. Jimmy stumbled to the back of the shop.”
Tommy Mizen told the court he was summoned by his brother's call. Harry had told him: “Jimmy's in trouble, get around here.” It took 30 seconds to run to the bakery from the family home and he saw a figure racing away. “I tried to run after this man but he was much faster,” said Tommy. “I screamed out at him because I feared something awful had happened to Jimmy. I turned back to the bakery and shouted Where is he (Jimmy)?”'
Tommy followed a trail of blood to the back of the shop. As he turned a door handle Jimmy collapsed into his arms.
“I eased him onto the floor and he was bleeding heavily from his neck. I did what I could with a large roll of tissue paper to staunch the bleeding.”
An ambulance crew arrived but Jimmy was declared dead.
Earlier, the judge told the jury it was agreed Fahri had killed Jimmy.
But he said there were two key issues: was Fahri acting in self-defence and how much injury did he intend to cause Jimmy?
Fahri, of Lee, has pleaded not guilty to murder. The case continues.
