Reece Tanseys killer I didnt want mum to see the knife

A TEENAGER who stabbed 15-year-old Reece Tansey to death has told a court he buried the blood-covered knife he used because he did not want his mum to see it.

Giving evidence via a videolink at Manchester Crown Court the youth, who can only be described as Boy A, told how he had taken two knives from the kitchen drawer at his home before heading out to meet up with his accomplice, Boy B, and onto an altercation with Reece in the early hours of May 4.

Reece was stabbed six times and died from his wounds a short time later.

Boy A and Boy B, both aged 15, deny murder. Boy A admits he stabbed Reece but says he did not intend to kill him or seriously hurt him while Boy B denies he had a knife or knew that Boy A was carrying one.

On the second day of giving evidence in his own defence, Boy A was cross-examined by Mark Ford QC, for the prosecution,

The court had heard how, on his way home after stabbing Reece, he buried his knife in mud at Doe Hey Brook after taking a video clip of his arm holding the blood-stained weapon, which he then posted on social media with the caption "muppet".

Boy A told how he had loaned one of the knives he took from his kitchen to Boy B. It was not used and he took it back to his house.

Mr Ford questioned him about why he did not also replace the knife that he had used.

"If I cleaned the blood off, my mum would have used the knife," he said.

"The main reason [why the knife was buried] was I didn't want my mum to see it."

The teenager told the court that he had never previously carried knives and said he wanted to scare Reece when they met for a fight in Walker Avenue, Great Lever, because he was worried the schoolboy would turn up at his house.

But Mr Ford pointed out that in his defence statement, produced before the trial, Boy A had not mentioned this concern.

"Have you just made it up now?" asked Mr Ford.

"No," replied Boy A.

During the fight in Walker Avenue Boy A chased Reece for more than 100 metres, repeatedly attacking him.

The teenager, who had the knife in his left hand, denied that he chased Reece with the intention of stabbing him.

"Why did you stab Reece?" asked Mr Ford.

"I was scared," replied Boy A.

He claimed that, at one point, he tripped Reece up and then fell over him.

"Did you stab him in the back when he was on his hands and knees?" asked Mr Ford. "Yeah," the boy replied.

Although Boy B did not stab Reece, Boy A said that he was shouting, "What, what?" at Reece as if saying to him, "What are you going to do about it?" as Boy A stabbed him.

Boy A said that he thought Reece would "have gone to hospital and got stitches" as a result of the wounds he inflicted.

"What do you think might happen to a person if you stab them several times with a large knife?" asked Mr Ford.

"They might be seriously hurt," replied Boy A, who added that they might also die.

As Boy A and Boy B left the scene together Boy A said that Boy B was "a bit" pleased about what had happened.

The trial continues.

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