A 15-year-old girl “organised” a horror stabbing attack on two men, and then watched through the window of their home while the deadly violence was carried out, a court heard.
Gary Belfield, 40, died after being stabbed 11 times when two masked raiders entered his living room. His son Luke Williams, 21, also suffered multiple wounds, but escaped in a bid to get help and survived, jurors heard.
Prosecutors at Newcastle Crown Court claimed the violence was carried out by two 17-year-old males, but was also orchestrated by a 15-year-old girl.
Leandro Lopes, now 18, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, and the two others, who are still youths and cannot be named, all deny murder and attempted murder.
Prosecutor Peter Moulson KC told jurors the teen girl knew someone who had had a previous falling out with the dad and son, and had told them they should “stab the c***”.
Jurors heard the girl boasted after the violence that she had “watched it through the window” and “they stabbed him to bits, stabbed him in the head.”
The court heard the girl had claimed in conversations about Mr Williams running for help, his “guts were hanging out and everything, urgh”.
Mr Moulson said: “This is not a young girl shouting her mouth off and making fanciful remarks. It can surely be no coincidence she was saying those things and in fact they were stabbed at a time she was outside the house.”
Jurors heard Mr Williams had ran, bleeding and injured from the house in Felling, Gateshead, to a nearby garage to get help for himself and his father on April 27.
Mr Moulson said a worker called 999 and added: “Luke Williams had staggered into the garage shouting ‘help me, they’re going to get me’.
“He observed Mr Williams was covered in blood. He looked freezing, shaking and unsteady on his feet.
“He had in fact just been attacked by a person or persons wielding knives, and later medical examination of Mr Williams revealed he had suffered stab wounds to his left elbow, two to the back of his shoulder, one to his lower back with underlying bone damage to the spine and one sharp force injury to his left, upper cheek.
“He also had numerous sharp force injuries to his left hand and one on his right hand.” Mr Moulson added: “Mr Williams went on to say he had just ran from his home address after being attacked and stabbed inside that address.
“Mr Williams said he was concerned for his father, who was still inside those premises when he made good his escape. He was also worried the people who had attacked him might still be present.”
The court heard police went to their home address where the attack had happened, but added: “They discovered Mr Belfield, Mr Williams’ father, lying in the living room. He was noted to be pale, unresponsive and not breathing.
“He was covered in blood and the attending police officers noted he had sustained multiple stab wounds to his upper and lower back, to his face and his arms.
“Those stab wounds were still bleeding. The police did what they could to administer First Aid and then the emergency personnel arrived by ambulance and took over treatment.
“Unfortunately, despite best efforts of all concerned, in trying to save his life, he was declared dead by the ambulance personnel while in the place he had been found by the police, namely in the lounge.”
The court heard a post mortem examination showed Mr Belfield had stab wounds to his head, face, thigh, sole of his foot and both of his upper arms.
He had five stab wounds to the back, which damaged his ribs, lung and liver and an injury to his thigh had damaged a major artery and vein. Mr Belfield also had black eyes. Mr Williams told police he and his dad had been at the pub for around half an hour that evening then returned home with fish and chips.
He said it was after they finished eating and had planned to go back out that they came under attack by masked raiders. Mr Moulson said: “Mr Williams was ahead of his father in their route towards going out of the premises.
“However, when Mr Williams got to the doorway of the sitting room which leads to the hallway he saw two men in the hallway. One approached Mr Wiliams and struck him in the face. Mr Williams said he was then stabbed in the upper arm and his left upper side. Mr Williams turned away and was stabbed in the back.”
The court heard Mr Williams said he made attempts to grab the knife from the attacker while he was being stabbed.
Mr Moulson added: “As the attack on Mr Williams was going on, he saw the second male repeatedly stabbing his father. Mr Williams recalls his father screaming in pain as this happened and his father lying on the floor with his arm and legs up, trying to avoid the knife blows being delivered to his head and body.
“Mr Williams was forced to leave his father in those premises in order to avoid being attacked further and to try and get help.” The court heard as Mr Williams ran for help he noticed the teen girl outside.
Mr Moulson said: “The prosecution contend her position outside the address was no accident and that she had played what we contend was a major part in orchestrating this attack. As Mr Williams passed her he said ‘what the f*** are you playing at’, to which she made no reply.
“It is the prosecution position that although she didn’t enter the home of Mr Williams, the prosecution say she was part of a joint plan to cause at least really serious injury to Mr Williams and Mr Belfied and that by her organisation of this attack we contend she is just as guilty as the two men who went into the house armed in the way that they were.”
Francis Fitzgibbon KC, defending the teen girl, said she denies involvement and told jurors: “We say there wasn’t a plan and if there was it had nothing to do with her.” Jurors heard the two male defendants deny any intention to use violence.
The trial continues.
