A 14-year-old who fatally stabbed another teen at Dunedin's bus hub says he was acting in self defence.
The boy is on trial at the High Court at Dunedin today defending a charge of murdering 16-year-old Enere Taana-McLaren on May 23 last year.
His name suppression continues.
Crown prosecutor Richard Smith outlined the Crown case to the jury of eight women and four men.
He explained that on May 23 last year Enere was at the bus hub when the defendant arrived on a bus.
The then 13-year-old was wearing a white ski mask, a cap sideways on top of that, a black shoulder bag and his socks pulled up.
“Perhaps because of the way [the defendant] was dressed, it appears he might've drawn some attention to himself,” Mr Smith said.
He explained Enere commented on what the defendant was wearing and said something derogatory to him.
The entire incident was captured on CCTV footage and would show the defendant pulling the finger at Enere and yelling something at him.
As he got closer, Enere dropped his school bag and the two “squared off in front of one another”, Mr Smith said.
The Crown says the defendant took a large kitchen knife from his shoulder bag and chased Enere while brandishing it.
Enere kicked out at the defendant and struck him around his shoulder and side of his head.
Mr Smith said CCTV footage would show the defendant swung the knife but missed Enere.
He pursued him into the middle of the road and this time stabbed Enere in the left side of his abdomen, the Crown says.
The wound was about 10-12cm deep and penetrated through Enere’s muscles, stomach, a large vein and struck the vertical tissues around his spine, causing irreparable internal damage.
Mr Smith explained to the jury that in his interview with police, the defendant would say it had become “routine” for him to carry a knife as he was being bullied.
He said he had never taken it out of his bag before.
Asked what he intended to do with the knife on this occasion, he replied: “pull it out, just like wave it around or do something with it, probably make him scared or something, but I didn't”.
Mr Smith alleged there were inconsistencies between what the defendant told police and what the CCTV footage showed.
The defendant told police he knew stabbing someone was wrong.
“You could hurt that person and that person could potentially die because of the injury,” he said.
Mr Smith said the incident could not be seen as an act of self defence.
Mrs Stevens KC said her client accepts he stabbed Enere, but did not mean to hurt or kill him.
“[The defendant] was not intending to harm Enere, but to protect himself,” she said.
“[He] acted in self defence when he wounded Enere with a knife.”
Mrs Stevens said Enere was bigger than the defendant, and he perceived him as a threat.
She said her client had PTSD after he was the victim of a robbery in 2023, and had carried a knife since then.
“[The defendant] thought he was going to be bashed by this bigger older stranger just as he had in August 2023,” Mrs Stevens.
He told the defendant “pull your socks down b**** boy”.
Mrs Stevens said that during the “square off” between the two boys, Enere asked what the defendant had in his bag.
When he told him he had a knife, Enere allegedly said “get it out, get it out, you won't use it”.
Mrs Stevens explained that on a prior occasion, the defendant had shown the knife to someone he thought was a bully, and they left him alone.
“How [the defendant] used the knife was reasonable in these circumstances,” Mrs Stevens said.
“Enere is violent, a bully, as [the defendant] perceived him to be.”
“[The defendant] had no intention to harm Enere and. . . he used reasonable force to defend himself.
The public gallery was full today.
Justice Robert Osborne is presiding over the trial and made an order prohibiting anyone under the age of 14 from attending.
The trial is expected to last three and-a-half weeks.
