Teenager murdered with 'sword' in Oswestry car park, court told

Danny Jones was fatally injured after getting involved in a fist fight with Richard Reece, a court was told.

Mr Robert Price, prosecuting, said: "Our case is that Richard Reece deliberately and forcefully stabbed Danny Jones with the knife – a large lethal weapon with a 30cm blade."

The fight happened outside Reece's home at the time in Lord Street, Oswestry, Birmingham Crown Court was told on the first day of the trial.

Mr Price said the pair, who knew each other quite well, became involved in an argument on April 24 which ended up in the nearby Oak Street car park.

The court heard both men were punching, kicking and grappling with each other.

"They were exchanging blows," Mr Price told the jury. "But that changed quite dramatically in an extremely dangerous fashion when Richard Reece made the decision to arm himself with an item variously described by witnesses as a short ornamental sword or a long knife.

"He returned to the car park with it. The two men came close to each other and at that stage our case is that this defendant quite deliberately stabbed him in the stomach. The fatal wound penetrated his stomach to a depth of 20cm. It damaged two major veins inside his body.

"That wound caused massive blood loss from which he ultimately died later that same night."

Mr Jones, who was 21 and lived in Chirk, died in hospital later that night while undergoing emergency surgery.

Reece was arrested after turning himself in early the following morning. The 19-year-old denies murder. The case continues.