Fred Shand murder trial: Alleged killer, 15, admits going against ‘agreement’ with co-defendant not to use knife in fight

The younger defendant charged with Fred Shand’s murder has admitted in court that he went against an “agreement” with his co-defendant not to use a knife in the fight that ended in Fred’s death in Kingsthorpe on March 22.

Northampton Crown Court heard on the morning of July 25 that the younger defendant, aged 14 at the time, wore a covid mask and had a hunting knife when he assaulted another teen in Taco Bell in Walter Tull Way two days before Fred was killed. Then the day before the stabbing, the 15-year-old was in St Peters Way with friends, wearing dark clothes, a covid mask and the same knife.

Benjamin Aina KC, the 17-year-old’s defence barrister, got the younger defendant to confirm that his client did not ask the younger defendant to cover his face on either of those days or ask him to carry a knife with him and he, instead, did that of his own accord.

The 15-year-old said he wore a face mask out in public “once in a while” and said it was “very rare” for him to carry a knife with him. The court heard that the older defendant knew the younger defendant carried a knife around with him.

Mr Aina asked the younger defendant if he wanted to “show off” to the 17-year-old defendant by bragging to him about having “more than one knife” back in March 2022. He denied this.

“I didn’t have to be tough around him and show off to him,” the 15-year-old told the court, “I believe that friends should appreciate you for who you are.”

The court heard that, on the day that Fred was fatally stabbed (March 22) - the older defendant messaged the younger defendant saying “Get your tools” - referring to two knives in the 15-year-old’s possession. In a later message, the older defendant said: “Come by my yard. Leave them here. We go smack them yutes up at their school then we come back, get your **** and we roll.”

Mr Aina asked the younger defendant: “He was specifically saying to you I want you to leave your weapons at my house, wasn’t he?”

“Yes he was,” the defendant replied.

Mr Aina questioned: “Did you understand from these messages that [the 17-year-old] did not want knives involved in the fight?”

“Yes,” the 15-year-old replied.

The court previously heard how the two defendants met up in Northampton town centre before sharing an e-scooter to ride to the Racecourse, where they exchanged knives in a “blind spot” where there was no CCTV.

Mr Aina put to the younger defendant that he gave the 17-year-old one of his knives - the smaller hunting knife - because he was in a “hurry.”

“He asked me for it. I didn’t give it to him because I was in a hurry,” the defendant disagreed.

The court heard that the older defendant took control of the scooter to drive but then it stopped for around nine minutes. The 15-year-old agreed that a conversation between him and his co-defendant took place during that time.

Mr Aina asked the defendant if he remembered his co-defendant telling him, “Bro, be real. I don’t have the heart to use this knife. They’re coming from school, they ain’t going to have a knife, let’s just fight.”

“It is not that I don’t remember. It is not true. He didn’t say that,” the 15-year-old said. He said, however, there was an agreement that no knives would be used in the fight.

Mr Aina alleged that, when the two teenagers arrived at Kingsthorpe College to look for Fred and his friend, the younger defendant did not say “let’s just leave it” as he previously claimed. The 15-year-old insisted that he did.

“When we got there, nobody was at the school, that’s when I told him just leave it,” the defendant said.

Shortly afterwards, the older defendant took a picture of the younger defendant posing with a knife and wearing a balaclava on the 15-year-old’s phone to let Fred and his friend know that they were out looking for him. The younger defendant, however, denied asking the 17-year-old to do this.

The court heard that the defendants then rode an e-scooter to the bus stop outside Waitrose in Harborough Road, where the older defendant suggested to “leave it” and, instead, catch a bus to the town centre.

The younger defendant then claims he told the 17-year-old that he could not afford a bus ticket and they should use the e-scooter to get into town instead because he has a subscription on his mother’s account. His co-defendant agreed.

The court also heard that right up to the moment the defendants spotted Fred and his friend, the older defendant did not know what Fred looked like and he asked the 15-year-old, “Is that them?” before the younger defendant allegedly replied, “Yes, turn, turn, turn.”

The court previously heard that the two defendants ran towards Fred and his friend who were walking towards them. It was claimed that Fred then took out his belt and the older defendant was knocked to the ground - then the 15-year-old took out his knife. The younger defendant was asked why he stabbed Fred.

“[The older defendant] was on the floor while there was two against one in front of me and Fred had a weapon and he was raising it,” the 15-year-old answered.

The younger defendant agreed that his co-defendant looked “shocked” after the stabbing and he did not ask him to stab Fred or shout anything to encourage him to stab Fred.

The trial continues.