Jack Woodley witness tells murder trial of attack

Jack Woodley was brutally beaten and stabbed after he was set on by a large group as he left Houghton Feast with a smaller group of friends last year.

A murder trial at Newcastle Crown Court heard he had been enjoying rides at the funfair with a group of friends on October 16.

The girl, who cannot be named, said they had drunk a small amount of alcohol and shared a cannabis joint before they left to get the bus home.

Jurors were told a group of youths had falsely accused 18-year-old Jack, from Newton Aycliffe, of saying he was going to punch one of them after a fight between two girls over one of the defendants.

Read more: Gang armed with Rambo knife was 'looking for excuse' to hurt someone

The trial has heard a shockingly violent attack followed leaving Jack fatally injured.

He died in hospital the following day.

The trial is at Newcastle Crown Court. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO (Image: Northern Echo)

In her evidence, the girl said: “A big group of lads, probably about 20 of them, came over and said Jack has said he was going punch one of them.

“He hadn’t because I was with Jack the whole time.

“They kept following Jack and asking him to fight one-on-one and he kept saying: ‘No, I am not fighting’.”

Prosecutor Mark McKone has said one of the boys was armed with a ten-inch ‘Rambo-style’ knife, and that the group had gone out looking for someone to attack.

The other nine defendants, who were all aged between 14 and 17 at the time of the attack and cannot also be named for legal reasons, deny both charges of murder and manslaughter.

The court has been told a 15-year-old boy, who has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter, admits that he stabbed Mr Woodley but denies that he intended to kill him.

In her police interview, the girl said one of the group ran up and punched Jack from behind as they approached the Britannia Inn in Houghton-le-Spring.

Jurors have been told he was put into a headlock before the group all started punching and kicking Jack all over his body.

The girl said: “I tried to break it up. All of their girl mates were pushing me away so I could not get near him.

“He ran down the alleyway and was on his hands and knees getting kicked in the face.

“I pulled three boys off but there was still another four or five kicking him.”

The girl said the violence then became directed at her.

She said: “Some girl got a hold of my head and smashed it into a car window.

“Two or three other girls started punching me and hitting my head off the wall.”

The girl suffered a broken nose, a black eye, bruising, and had her hair pulled out in the savage attack.

She later told police: “It was quite scary at the time.”

She said her friend took her into the pub to get cleaned up and to call an ambulance before going to find Jack.

Read more: Harrowing evidence from teenage eyewitnesses at jack Woodley murder trial 

She said: “My friend came back said that Jack had been stabbed in his back.

“There was a huge group of people who were surrounding Jack who was lying on the floor.

“I think he was conscious for a bit because he wanted me to go over and see him.

“Someone came over and got me. He was only five steps away from where I was.

“By the time I got there, he was unconscious.”

The trial continues.

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