A boy accused of murder following an arranged fight which ended in a fatal stabbing says he feared a group of teenagers outside his home would smash their way inside.
A jury has heard the defendant describe the moment the group arrived at his house, prompting him to grab a knife.
The trial is underway of a 15-year-old accused of murdering 14-year-old Christopher McBurnie, who was stabbed to death in Ramsey on May 29 last year.
The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admits inflicting the fatal wound but claims he acted in self-defence. He has pleaded not guilty to murder.
On the eleventh day of the trial, the defendant took the stand and was questioned by his advocate, Siobhan Grey KC.
He was asked about the moment the group of boys arrived outside his home.
He said: ‘I saw a group of people outside while I was in the kitchen. I thought at the time there was 20-30 people. I only recognised one of them.
‘I grabbed a knife from the knife block. I was going to go out and threaten them with it to scare them away. That’s what I was hoping.’
The defendant said he did not want to remain inside because he feared they might smash the windows and force their way in. He also explained why he had not called police.
He said: ‘I briefly thought about calling the police but I thought they would take too long to come. I didn’t think it would be serious to them.
‘When I went outside I was scared and panicked. I was in a cold sweat and my heart rate was faster.’
Doorbell footage showing him leaving the house was played to the jury. In the recording, he said: ‘How many f****** people do you need?’
Asked by Ms Grey what he meant, the defendant explained: ‘I was scared of the group. I thought I would be subject to serious harm.’
The defendant said Christopher stepped through the gate of his home before throwing two punches at his head.
He added: ‘There was someone close behind and I thought I was going to be attacked by multiple people.
‘When I stepped back I said something about the knife to scare him but he still moved towards me.’
The defendant said he took the knife from his pocket but could not remember the moment Christopher was stabbed.
Earlier, he was questioned about a three-year social media dispute between himself and Christopher.
He told the jury he had known Christopher for about three years but had never met him in person and only communicated ‘once a year’ on social media.
‘We would insult each other,’ he said. ‘It would be back and forth.’
He explained that he had fallen out with another boy known to Christopher, who had invited him to Douglas for a fight a year earlier. However, the defendant had not turned up.
‘I was scared I’d get jumped,’ he said. ‘I did not want to fight. When I didn’t turn up I was ridiculed online.’
The defendant said that on the day before the fatal stabbing, he and Christopher had exchanged insults during another girl's TikTok livestream before continuing their argument on Snapchat.
He admitted telling Christopher to come to Ramsey but added: ‘I thought I could say that because he was miles away and I thought it would never happen.’
The defendant described Christopher as a ‘verbalist’, meaning ‘all talk’, and sent him a Snapchat message saying: ‘You’re the biggest Snapchat warrior I’ve ever seen.’
The pair continued exchanging threats and challenging each other to fight, with the defendant suggesting Ramsey as the location. However, he maintained that he never believed the fight would happen.
In one message, the defendant wrote: ‘Come Ramsey, I will f****** kill you.’
But giving evidence, he insisted: ‘I did not want to kill him.’
The defendant was later added to a group chat involving others, which he said made him feel ‘targeted’.
Suggestions were made for a two-against-two fight before a two-against-one confrontation involving Christopher and his friend was proposed.
The defendant agreed but told the court he had done so to avoid being ‘picked on’.
He also said he had not left the group chat because he believed he would simply be added again.
Ms Grey repeatedly asked whether he had believed the threats or expected a fight to take place. Each time, he maintained that he had not thought anything would happen.
The following morning, the defendant sent the first message, saying ‘better come today’, but told jurors he had only wanted to ‘get the first word in’.
He said he then sent a picture of his address.
The defendant gave evidence by live link during the afternoon after it was agreed this would help him give his best evidence.
Under questioning, he again insisted he had not expected the online exchanges to lead to a confrontation.
When Christopher said they were coming to Ramsey, the defendant replied: ‘If you come to Ramsey you’re dead mate.’
Even at 2pm, when Christopher sent a photograph of the bus he was taking, the defendant said he still did not believe the group would come to his home.
The defendant is due to give further evidence and face cross-examination on Friday.
The trial continues.