Michael Warham murder trial: Accused seen ‘distressed’ by friend
A man accused of stabbing a 16-year-old resulting in fatal injuries was seen looking in a distressed state in the aftermath of the incident, a jury has heard.
Teenager Michael Warham suffered two serious wounds when he was attacked in Wayford Close, on the Meole Brace estate, in Shrewsbury, during a confrontation between two groups of youths on August 1 last year.
The victim, from Bootle, Merseyside, died three days later from his injuries.
At the trial, Miss Rachel Brand, prosecuting, showed the jury a video of a recorded interview of a girl who had seen Graves and some of the group he was with in the time leading up to the clash and some time after Mr Warham was stabbed.
In her recorded statement the girl explained that Graves usually had a friendly manner when she saw him.
She said she saw the emergency services arriving in the vicinity, but she did not know what had happened.
She told the interviewing officer that she was at McDonald’s at the retail park next to the estate when Graves arrived in a car and that he spoke to another man called Luke Pritchard.
“I am not going to lie. He looked distressed. He was in deep conversation. I’d never seen him in that sort of mood before. He was always relaxed,” the girl stated.
The trial so far:
The jury was told that following the stabbing that happened at about 9.30pm the youths dispersed and some of Graves’ group went scouring the streets trying to find him after they became separated during the confrontation.
Some met up at the fast food restaurant afterwards.
The trial be held at Stafford Crown Court has also heard from Callum Crighton-Poli who had been present when Graves’ and his friends were involved in an altercation outside a flat, in Moneybrook Way, that resulted in Mr Warham and the group he was with leaving the flat and pursuing them in the streets.
Giving evidence, Mr Crighton-Poli told the jury he could not recall much of the details of what happened that evening as it was some time ago.
In cross-examination Mr John Mc Dermott, defending Graves, put to Poli: “There are a lot of things that you have told the jury that you can’t remember. I am suggesting that you remember quite a bit more than you are saying. Am I wrong?”
Poli replied: “Yes.”
He said he did think it was “strange” that “someone” in their group was carrying a metal pole in their hand before the altercation outside the flat and he told them to put it down on the ground which was done.
He told the jury that he was not covering for others in the group.
Graves, from Liverpool, denies murder. The trial continues.
