Accused 'did not throw 'single punch' in Kirwan violence
A man accused of being involved in a violent brawl moments before a Shropshire factory worker was stabbed to death has told a court he did not throw 'a single punch'.
Kieran Stubbs, aged 20, told a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court he was punched and kicked in the head but did not fight back when violence flared outside the city's Uberra Club on the night Tom Kirwan - who worked at Bridgnorth Aluminium - was was killed in July 2012.
But the prosecution alleges CCTV footage of the incident shows Stubbs throwing a right hook.
Gas engineer Stubbs told the jury he was picked up and driven into Wolverhampton city centre by his cousin Nathan Hanson in the early hours of the morning on July 8.
The court heard the pair met up with a group of friends outside the club at the site of the former British Waterways depot.
CCTV footage shown to the jury revealed a fight breaking out between two groups in which three men were knocked out.
The footage showed to the court captured Stubbs stumbling into shot before another man kicked him in the head.
Mr David Bennett, prosecuting, said Stubbs could clearly be seen throwing a right-handed punch as he stumbled.
But Stubbs told the court: "I was definitely not involved in any fighting. You can see me waving my right hand but that does not mean I threw a punch.
"I hate violence and I just wanted the fighting to stop."
But Mr Bennett said a text message sent by Stubbs to his girlfriend shortly after the incident showed a truer picture of his involvement.
"You state in the text message 'we ****ed them up," added Mr Bennett. "This is the case in a nutshell."
And he said: "You don't really need to tell us what happened as you have already done so in a text message."
But Stubbs insisted: "My text message was lies. I was bragging, trying to tell my girlfriend I was involved more than I was. I was ashamed because I was there when my mate got knocked out and put in hospital and I didn't do anything about it."
The court was told Stubbs had not admitted he was present at the scene of the incident until a week before the trial.
Mr Bennett said: "By that stage you had seen the CCTV in some detail, yet you still would no accept you were present at the scene.
"You were being as evasive as you possibly could be."
Nathan Hanson, 20, of Enville Road, Warstones, Brooklen Kirwan, 21, of Draly Drive, Dunstall Hill, Shannon Samuels, 20, of Overton Walk, Merry Hill and Stubbs, of Brantley Avenue, Finchfield, all deny affray. The jury has been told that none of the defendants were involved in Tom Kirwan's death.
The trial continues.
