Reagan Asbury murder trial: Family's tears as footage shown of 'fatal knife attack'

Members of 19-year-old victim’s family wept in the public gallery as CCTV of the brawl outside Walsall town hall was played to the court.

It included views the prosecution say show alleged murderer Tyrone Andrew, 21, creeping up behind the teenager and plunging a knife into his neck.

Scenes of clashes inside the venue showed total uproar, with spectators scattering as tables were flipped over and chairs and glasses were used as missiles.

Chain reaction

A drink thrown by a Walsall boxing fan sparked the chain reaction that ended in the fatal stabbing, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Spectators were waiting to hear the result of the IBF Youth World Lightweight title bout between local fighter Luke Paddock and his opponent Myron Mills, from Derby, when the drink was thrown.

Almost simultaneously chairs were picked up and hurled across the room by both sets of supporters.

Footage of the mayhem inside the room captured on spectators’ mobile phones was shown to the jury.

Video filmed from the town hall balcony shows the ringside crowd on their feet cheering and shouting. Chants of ‘there’s only one Lukey Paddock’ can clearly be heard.

Violence

When the violence erupts the Derby supporters start backing towards two exits as a succession of missiles, including metal railings used to separate sections of the crowd, are hurled in their direction.

The Walsall supporters are seen moving towards them, goading their rivals. Andrew can be seen with his arms raised making a rude gesture to the spectators on the balcony.

Security staff are shown trying to restrain the paddock fans while encouraging the Mills supporters to leave the building.

Earlier the court heard that the disorder was so bad that the crowd missed the announcement that Mills had won the closely contested fight on a split decision.

CCTV footage showed Andrew standing outside the town hall with a small group, waiting for home fans to come out.

When they appear, the two sets of supporters race towards each other, however Andrew is quickly knocked to the ground and attacked.

But as Walsall fan Phillip Smith bent over Andrew, he was stabbed in the stomach and back by the defendant, said Mr Michael Burrows, QC, prosecuting.

As Andrew got to his feet, the grainy black and white footage showed him pick something up from the ground, alleged to be the knife he stabbed Mr Smith with.

Stabbed

The CCTV operator, spotting the incident, decided to track Andrew as he moved around the crowd milling in front of the town hall, the blade in his right hand allegedly seen flashing.

In the following 20 seconds, Andrew stabbed three more men, narrowly missing the first, knifing home fan Lee Hickinbottom in the shoulder and killing Reagan Asbury, it is claimed.

As Andrew is said to attack Mr Asbury, a bottle simultaneously smashes at his feet, said to be thrown by Lavelle Patrice, a friend of the defendant’s, and the teenager is seen to duck.

Other footage shows him clutching his neck and moving back to the town hall where a member of staff comes out to help him.

Andrew is then seen with others in Lichfield Street beside a silver BMW apparently passing co-defendant Ryandeep Sidhu the alleged murder weapon.

Car and flight

With them is Declan Kemp-Francis, observed picking up a chair inside the venue, who gives the defendant a lift back to Derby, the court was told.

At his flat, Andrew is picked up on CCTV walking into the block stripped to the waist, wearing only boxer shorts.

Eight minutes later he leaves, having donned jeans and a camouflage jacket.

At Birmingham Airport, where he catches a flight to Amsterdam, images show him empty-handed.

En route, when asked by his taxi driver where his luggage was, he replied he was ‘only going to Europe.’

Andrew, of St Helen’s Street, Derby, pleads not guilty to murder.

Kemp-Francis, 23, of Dickens Square, Sunny Hill, Derby, and Patrice, 22, of Heavenwood Grove, Littleover, Derby, both deny violent disorder while Sidhu, 22, of Lidgate Close, Derby, and Kemp Francis plead not guilty to assisting an offender.

The trial continues.