Teen followed boy with a knife ‘to scare him'

Murder trial hears how fatal stabbing happened after car chase

- ANDREW BARDSLEY

A TEENAGER who chased a 16-year-old boy while armed with a knife just wanted to ‘scare’ him., a court heard.

The 17-year-old defendant, who can’t be named for legal reasons, claimed he and others had followed Rhamero West after seeing him drive at a drug dealer ‘as if he was going to run him over’.

Shortly after a high-speed chase involving three stolen BMWs, Mr. West was stabbed to death on Norton Street in Old Trafford. “I weren’t happy about what I had just seen, I wanted to speak to him about it,” the defendant told jurors at Manchester Crown Court.

Prosecutors allege that 19-year-old Ryan Cashin took a knife from the 17-year-old and then stabbed Mr West with it. Two other men, Giovanni Lawrence, 20, Xavaiour Wynter, 18, are also on trial. All four defendants deny murder.

Jurors heard that the 17-year-old defendant and Mr Cashin had bought cannabis from a ‘friend’ in Millennium Park, Moss Side, after 5 pm on September 9 last year.

After they both purchased some drugs and got back in two stolen BMWs, the defendant said he saw Mr West behind the wheel of another BMW, also stolen.