Boy, 15, fatally stabbed friend, 16; Accused claims self-defence.

Byline: BY CHLOE GRIFFITHS Daily Post Staff

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy fatally stabbed a 16-year-old friend during a cocaine-fuelled argument, a court has heard.

Luke Howard suffered 12 knife injuries to his head and body, including one 14cm wound to his stomach, as he fought on the floor with his friend.

Emergency surgery and blood transfusions were unable to save the Old Swan teenager and he was pronounced dead several hours later.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named, is charged with his murder.

He admits killing Howard, but claims he was acting in self defence because the St Francis Xavier college student was strangling him.

But Richard Pratt QC, prosecuting, told a jury the defendant had acted "deliberately, intentionally and wholly unreasonably".

He added: "In the heat of this particular moment and no doubt fuelled by the effects of alcohol and drugs, this young defendant lost his temper and wholly overreacted to the situation.

"It may be that shortly afterwards he bitterly regretted what he had done. "It is not an unfamiliar response.

Regret, however sincere, after the event provides no defence to the unlawful killing."

Mr Pratt told Liverpool Crown Court a group of teenage lads had been downing large quantities of booze, smoking cannabis and snorting cocaine at a house in Knotty Ash.

Many of the group went home at about 1am. Those left described how Luke repeatedly used a screwdriver to prod the defendant and the pair were "winding each other up".

Witnesses described the pair "bickering" and threatening to stab each other.

At one point the defendant was seen with a knife.

Mr Pratt said: "The two boys were friends although, at times, they would spend much of their time needling each other.

"It was something that in the early hours of August 30, 2008, erupted into terrible violence with the defendant stabbing Luke Howard repeatedly to his head and body.

"All in all, there were 12 stab wounds to the head or body and one of them in particular caused massive internal bleeding."

One witness told how Luke was sitting astride the defendant holding a screwdriver.

He then told the jury how the defendant was "whacking" Luke with the knife.

The boy's parents, woken by the disturbance, tried to stem the bleeding.

The defendant fled the house, telling a friend: "Well if I never done that, he would have killed me - it was either me or him, he started it, it's all his fault."

When he got home he told his mother, who bagged up his clothes and took him to Tuebrook police station.

In interview, he said Luke had been "bullying him" all night.

He claimed he had feared for his life after Luke pinned him down and tried to strangle him.

He claimed he had reached for anything to defend himself.

The case continues.

CAPTION(S):

Luke Howard - suffered 12 knife wounds and died shortly afterward