Stab victim ‘gave grief' to murder-accused's friend over £20 debt, trial told
Jurors were told that Charles Hartle, 18, wearing a balaclava, grinned when he 'thrust' the knife into Noah Smedley's chest after a drug deal in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, on the evening of December 28 last year.
Hartle, also known as Charlie, was 17 at the time of the alleged attack.
The defendant, of Station Road, Stanley, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place but denies murder.
Marcus Coleman, a friend of Hartle's who was 'feet away' from the attack, went with two other friends and the defendant to buy cannabis from Mr Smedley that evening.
Mr Coleman, who was 17 at the time but is now 18, denied that there was animosity between him and Mr Smedley because of an incident months earlier.
Peter Joyce KC, defending Hartle, cross-examined Mr Coleman, who gave evidence from behind a screen at Derby Crown Court on Thursday, and said: 'Noah had been causing you… some grief about a £20 debt of cannabis a little while before.'
The witness replied: 'It was a separate incident that happened months prior, it had nothing to do with this incident.'
Mr Joyce said: 'I suggest it was on this night you saw Charlie for the first time in four months, that's when you told him about the problem with Noah.
'You told him that Noah was giving you grief. Noah had really annoyed you, irritated you, hacked you off.'
Mr Coleman said it was 'not really a problem'.
Mr Joyce said: 'There was no need at all for four of you to go and meet Noah was there? Unless there was a second purpose that required all four of you to go, namely to give him a bit of a slapping.
'For the next four hours the three of you are together at your home aren't you? The three of you instead spent between nine o'clock and one o'clock… doing a number of things. One, smoking weed. Two, talking about what had happened and, I suggest, agreeing your stories.'
Mr Coleman replied: 'No sir.'
Mr Joyce asked: 'Did you decide you would not say the three of you had a grudge against Noah?'
The witness said no.
Mr Coleman said: 'We weren't really talking about anything sir, we were shocked. We were trying to distract ourselves with the cannabis and I think I was on my PS5 at the time, trying to distract myself from the situation.'
When asked why he left the scene with his friends after Hartle ran away instead of helping Mr Smedley, Mr Coleman said he was 'scared' and added: 'I still regret it to this day.'
Mr Joyce said: 'You ran away from Noah in the opposite direction and you took a roundabout route to get away so you would not be seen.
'I'm going to suggest that the reason for all of that was that all four of you – you three and Charlie – had agreed earlier that Noah was to be given a bit of a slapping.'
Mr Coleman replied: 'No, not true sir.'
The trial continues.
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