The teenager who stabbed Ava White said he thought she was a boy who might have a weapon and "jump" him.
Ava, 12, was knifed in the neck after an argument in Liverpool city centre. A 14-year-old boy denies her murder and manslaughter. Boy A, from South Liverpool, who cannot be named for legal reasons, accepts stabbing Ava. Today he told a jury he thought she was going to "batter" him
Liverpool Crown Court has heard he ran away after the stabbing, in School Lane, at around 8.35pm on November 25 last year. This morning he gave evidence under questioning by his lawyer, Nick Johnson, QC.
READ MORE: Ava White begged friend 'please don't leave me' after stabbing
Boy A said he was walking through town with three friends, Boys B, C and D. They came across a friend of Ava's, Boy J, in Richmond Street who was "swaying" and seemed "quite drunk". He said they saw Ava and others "messing around", with Ava lying on the ground, and he filmed it and put it on his private Snapchat story.
Boy A said Ava pointed at him and told him to delete the video, before she "ran back and went and got all her other mates and then they call came up". He said "they were all just being like cheeky".
He said Ava asked his friend Boy C whether they had videos, before he heard one of two masked boys say to Boy C: "Delete the f***ing video now or I'm gonna stab you." He added: "That's when I tried to pull him [Boy C] away."
Boy A said he didn't see a knife but he was "backing off" and Ava got "in me face" saying "delete the video". He said Ava turned to a friend and said: "Shall we just jump him now cos I feel like it."
Boy A said he tried to get Boy B to come with him because he was "scared" they were going to "jump" him. He said he thought "angry" Ava was a boy and when she was "in me face" he could smell vodka. He said two of her friends were "following her" and he told Boy B "come on let's go". He added: "She was in my face like she was going to batter me.
In Tarleton Street, he said Ava was saying "you gang of mings" and Boy C said "well look at youse". He said Ava said "delete the f***ing video now". Boy A said he didn't want an argument and was walking backwards because "I didn't want her to just run up behind me and hit me". He added Boy C said he had been threatened with a "big knife."
He said by now he had deleted the video on his Snapchat. He said Ava's group kept following them to Church Street, and he saw Ava lying on the ground again. He said "they jumped up and started chasing us" and were saying "get here now". Once in School Lane, he said: "I think Ava said my name and I looked, she was coming towards me. She was like 'delete the f***ing video now lad' and I was like 'get out of my face lad'.
"She grabbed me there, and I ran backwards. I think I got the knife out then and I kept running backwards, she put her arm out and I put my arm out at the same time, I was just trying to get her away because I was scared."
Mr Johnson said: "What was going through your head as to what might happen?" Boy A replied: "I didn't know if she was in possession of a weapon or anything, or any of her mates, so I was just scared and frightened. Three of her mates were running at me while she was running at me."
He said he still thought she was a boy at that stage and didn't know who else was in her group. He said he was concentrating on Ava and her two friends. Asked why he didn't run away forwards rather than backwards, he said it was "weird" and happened quickly.
Boy A said he had the knife in his right pocket. Asked why he got it out, he replied: "Because I was frightened and I was trying to like get away - I promise I didn't mean to hit her."
Mr Johnson asked what he was thinking he was going to do with the knife. Boy A said: "Like frighten her away to be honest so she didn't just come for me because I was scared her and her mates were going to jump me." He added that he didn't intend to cause any injury to Ava.
The QC said: "What did you think was going to happen to you if Ava or anyone else got their hands on you?" Boy A answered: "Get battered probably."
Boy A said he ran away because he was still frightened he might be jumped and at that stage he didn't think he had hurt Ava. He said he ditched his black bubble coat because he was scared someone might identify him.
He said he went to Boy C's flat to "chill" and play a video game before his mum rang him and put police on the phone, who asked him to come home. He said texts he sent his mum were to make her think "I didn't do it and to tell the police", because he was scared of going to jail.
Asked why he got rid of his phone, Boy A said: "Because they always take my phone. I've had a few phones took when I was in the police station."
Boy A said he lied to police in interviews that he was at Boy C's flat from 5pm to 10pm "because I thought i was going to get away with it and I was scared that I was going to go to jail". He said he suggested another boy was responsible because that boy had also been wearing a bubble coat and "I thought I would have like got away with it".
On March 16, Boy A had his solicitors tell police where he had ditched the knife. He said this was "because I'm telling the truth and I didn't mean to do it - because I wanted to tell the truth".
Mr Johnson said: "Did you intend to stab Ava in the neck?" "No, I promise you," Boy A replied.
The QC said: "Did you intend to stab her anywhere?" Boy A said: "No. I just wanted to get away."
(Proceeding)
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