Murder-accused 'wanted to scare away' teen, jury told

A 16-year-old boy accused of murder has told a jury his "intention was not to kill" a teenager but to "scare him away".

The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, is on trial at Bristol Crown Court over the death of Shayne Hambakachere, 16, who was stabbed in an alleyway in Chippenham, Wiltshire on 31 January.

The accused, who denies murder, said he was "frightened" of Shayne, who he claimed was part of a wider gang who had threatened him with knife violence.

"Because of Shayne's [Snapchat] stories with weapons, I thought he had a weapon with him," the boy told the court. "I armed myself with a knife and put it in my waistband."

The boy said he believed Shayne was involved with a Bristol-based gang.

"I was petrified of the gang because I knew their history for knife crime," he told the court.

He also claimed there had been a previous incident where he felt pressured by friends of Shayne. He told the court he did not involve the police for fear of "repercussions" or "violence to my mum or sister."

The boy told the court he had previously stolen weed from Shayne before "mocking" him over a series of messages.

The teen, who was 15 at the time of Shayne's death, said he then felt "terrified" when Shayne went to his house on 31 January and worried about the safety of his mother, who was in the bath at the time.

He told Shayne to follow him to an alley, the court heard.

The moments that followed were caught on camera. The jury heard the defendant filmed himself stabbing Shayne, who then cried out in pain.

When asked about this footage, the boy told the court he had hoped to share it as a message to other boys he had tensions with.

He previously claimed there had been an incident where he had been assaulted and footage of it was shared online by Shayne.

"I thought if I took a video and shared it, the gang would stop harassing me and stop the violence," the boy told the defence.

The boy said he did not want Shayne to die when he stabbed him.

"My intention was not to kill him," he said.

"My intention was to scare Shayne away from the alley. As I recorded, Shayne had his hand in his pocket. He walked closer to me and I felt he was about to attack me with something in his pocket. I thought Shayne was about to stab me."

He also told the court Shayne had "posted with weapons" on his Snapchat stories, which made him believe their confrontation would not play out "with fists".

After the stabbing, Shayne staggered onto London Road in Chippenham where passers-by came to his aid.

The defendant told the court he "blacked out" and ran to an abandoned care home where he threw the knife through a window. He admitted he saw a "bit of blood" on the knife.

"How did this make you feel?" asked Charles Row, defending. The boy replied: "My heart sank and I couldn't register what just happened."

Sarah Jones, prosecuting, questioned why the boy robbed Shayne if he was frightened of him.

"I didn't know the connections he had," replied the boy.

Jones also asked the teenager how he had come into possession of a knife and why he posted videos with it on Snapchat.

He said a friend suggested he get one to have on his person while in Swindon for "protection."

"I had it since the October," he said. "Three months. I kept it under my bed."

The trial continues.

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