A witness to the prelude to a fatal stabbing in Dunedin’s bus hub says the 14-year-old accused of murder appeared adamant he wanted to fight.
The teen on trial over the death of 16-year-old Enere Taana-McLaren has pleaded not guilty to the charge on the basis of self-defence.
But a schoolgirl who was on the scene on May 23 said the defendant seemed most keen for a physical confrontation when he squared up with the victim.
Earlier, the court heard the altercation may have been sparked by Enere making a derogatory comment regarding the defendant’s outfit – a white ski mask, a sideways cap, socks pulled up and a shoulder bag.
When the two squared up, the girl, who has name suppression, said they were each saying: “do you wanna go” - “go, as in fight”, she clarified.
It was the defendant who seemed most “agitated” and repeated the challenge more frequently, the woman recalled.
She saw the boy run “full force” at Enere and start swinging at him before losing sight of the duo as she walked into the adjoining supermarket car park.
Over the last two days, the jury has been shown CCTV of the events of that afternoon from a variety of angles, often in slow-motion.
There was footage of the defendant getting off the number 44 bus and walking past Enere.
The victim put down his bag and walked towards the defendant who turned and advanced to meet him.
Even before that, he said it appeared the older boy was “spoiling for a fight”.
Mr Kitto said the taller boy continued to goad his counterpart when the boy put his hand into his shoulder bag.
“Get it out, get it out,” Enere said, according to the bus driver.
The defendant can be seen withdrawing a kitchen knife from his bag before lunging at the victim.
Enere delivered an “impressive kick” as the fight spilled onto the road where the fatal wound was delivered.
Mrs Stevens suggested he had an uninterrupted view of events, better than the cameras - “the best seat in the house”.
“I didn’t really want to be, but yes,” Mr Kitto said.
In slow-motion clips played today, the knife could be seen skidding across the road as the melee unfolded and the pair wrestle on the ground.
Mr Kitto said he saw the knife “flying through the air... then the tinkle of it when it hit the road made me think it was a kitchen knife rather than a hunting-type knife”.
The boys were quickly separated and the victim could be seen lifting his clothing to check the damage to his midriff.
One of the first on the scene, who assisted in breaking up the fight, told the court this afternoon he knew both parties and noticed the altercation as it progressed.
As the boys ended up brawling on the road, the 18-year-old witness, who has name suppression, said he dashed over.
“As I was running towards the bus a knife came towards me and dropped onto the ground,” he said.
CCTV showed him stopping briefly and throwing it over towards the public toilet block.
The 31cm, black-handled kitchen knife, inside a plastic box, was produced as an exhibit in court.
The witness pulled the defendant away but said his attention quickly turned to Enere when he noticed a deep stab wound in his abdomen.
“I ran over to him, took off my hoodie and wrapped it around him. I tied it into a knot and tied it the tightest I could, to stop any bleeding,” he said.
Enere was rushed to hospital but the deep wound was too severe.
The trial continues.
