"Everyone started swinging swords around”: Eyewitness tells court how machete fight unfolded before Mason Miller was killed at Northampton park
An eyewitness has told the court how a machete fight unfolded at a Northampton park before Mason Miller was fatally stabbed.
The witness, a man in his 50s, gave evidence at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday October 22 in the trial of three teenagers accused of murdering 20-year-old Mason Miller at Briar Hill Skate Park at 3.30pm on February 18, 2026.
The eyewitness told Northampton Crown Court he had arranged to meet a teenager to buy drugs at the skate park.
He said he arrived before the teenager and noticed two boys standing on a mound at the top of the field. They were Mason and the defendant who is now 18.
After the drug deal, the dealer and his accomplice, the 17-year-old defendant, became suspicious of the two males on the mound, the court heard.
Counsel for the 16-year-old defendant
Benjamin Aina KC, representing the 16-year-old, questioned the witness about the conversation following the drug deal and how the confrontation began.
Mr Aina said: “After he sold you the drugs, the teenager and his companion noticed the two boys who acted suspiciously?”
Witness responded: “It was during that interaction, yeah. When they dealt with me, that’s when they noticed the two lads hanging around.
“They were just suspicious of the lads. They did seem to be loitering and were a bit suspicious. I didn’t feel they thought I was police or I was involved in it.
“They certainly wanted to go and investigate.”
Mr Aina said: “It all happened very quickly from there onwards when they went towards the boys.”
Witness responded: “Yes, it did.”
The court heard how the dealer and the 17-year-old defendant got on their e bikes and drove towards the other two males on the other side of the park.
When they got to the middle of the park, the two males on the hill started to run towards them and brandished weapons, the court heard.
Mr Aina said: “The other two boys had taken out their weapons first? And they were running when they took their weapons out? They were running towards the two lads on the bike?”
Witness responded: “Yes, they were initially standing on top of the hill. As the two bikes approached them, they started coming down the hill. They came and they were first to draw their weapons, yes.”
Mr Aina said: “When they drew their weapons out, the dealer and his companion were just coming off their bikes?”
Witness responded: “They saw these two lads come towards them with knives, so they dropped their bikes and drew their weapons, yes.”
Mr Aina said: “What happened very quickly was the dealer was fighting one boy and his companion another boy?”
Witness responded: “That’s right, yes.”
Counsel for the 17-year-old defendant
Mary Prior, counsel for the 17-year-old defendant, continued the line of questioning about the two males on the mound,
Counsel said: “You’ve explained that the two (Mason and the 18-year-old) were loitering?”
Witness responded: “Yes, focusing on the skate park. I had noticed them and they were looking towards my direction.”
Counsel asked: “How did that situation make you feel?”
Witness responded: “I was a little bit suspicious, but I wasn’t overly concerned.”
Counsel asked: “Did anyone other than you know you were going to get a deal from the dealer at the skate park?”
Witness responded: “Not that I’m aware of.”
Counsel asked: “How did they come to notice the two lads on the hill?”
Witness responded: “They were in plain sight, they were a little bit suspicious about them.”
Counsel asked: “At that stage, the lads thought the guys on the hill were police officers spotting them doing a deal?”
Witness responded: “Yes.”
Counsel asked: “Neither of the lads said anything to you about having a fight?”
Witness responded: “No.”
Counsel said: “They thought it was a policeman, maybe?”
Witness responded: “Yes.”
Counsel asked: “What happened first? Did the lads go to have a look, or did the two at the top of the hill start running down?”
Witness responded: “The two lads on bikes rode their bikes into the middle of the field. As they got closer, the two lads on the hill started shouting, got their weapons out and started running at the two on the bikes.”
Counsel asked: “They went into the middle, as they drove along they didn’t have weapons out, did they?”
Witness responded: “No.”
Counsel asked: “As they went to the middle, the two lads on the hill took weapons out?”
Witness responded: “Yes.”
Counsel asked: “They withdrew them, machetes, but they were running towards the lads on the bikes in a threatening manner. At this stage, how did you feel?”
Witness responded: “I was just thinking what the F’s going on here.”
Counsel asked: “Was it scary?”
Witness responded: “Yes, it was. I wasn’t exactly too thrilled about the experience.”
Counsel said: “When the boys on the bikes saw the blades, they dropped their bikes.”
Witness responded: “They drew theirs and everyone started swinging swords around.”
Counsel asked: “There were two groups of two fighting?”
Witness responded: “Yes.”
Counsel asked: “Both of the males in each group were fighting?”
Witness responded: “Yes.”
Counsel said: “All four of them had knives, they were sort of in pairs fighting. Could you hear blade on blade?”
Witness responded: “Yes, definitely, yes.”
Counsel asked: “How long did that go on for?”
Witness responded: “Difficult to say. As I sat there watching it seemed like a lifetime, but it didn’t go on long at all.”
Counsel said: “One of the groups of two lost their balance, one ended on the floor, and the other had lost his balance but didn’t get to the floor.”
The witness said: “Two blades came together, both lost their balance, one regained his balance and stuck a knife in the lad’s chest.”
The witness said he saw the injury.
He added: “It was at that point I turned away from it to get out of there. As I was walking away, he was complaining he’d been stabbed and someone needed to call an ambulance.”
The witness was also questioned about four other boys who had arrived at the park shortly before the confrontation and were allegedly in the trees beside the canal during the fight.
Counsel asked: “What gap in time between the four lads and then the two lads coming to the park [on the mound]?”
Witness responded: “Maybe seconds between, a very short time, yes.”
Counsel said: “They were at Thorn Hill then went and hid in the trees next to the canal. After the stabbings, these four lads ran into the field where the altercation took place. When they ran in the field, all four had machetes, didn’t they?”
Witness responded: “They all had weapons, they clearly all had knives, yes. I think they’re called zombie knives.”
Counsel asked: “Was it clear to you this was in fact a group of six?”
Witness responded: “It seemed that way, yes.”
Counsel said: “So six lads with knives against two lads?”
Witness responded: “Yes.”
The four males cannot be named for legal reasons. This also applies to those involved in the machete fight.
Counsel for the 18-year-old defendant
Maria Karaiskov representing the 18-year-old defendant, who was fighting alongside Mason, then questioned the witness.
Counsel asked: “As they (the drug dealer and the 17-year-old defendant on e-bike) approached the mound, that’s when the two (Mason and the 18-year-old) started coming down?”
Witness responded: “Yes. I don’t think they were expecting the boys on bikes to produce knives. They slowed down [when they saw the knives], but they were already committed [to the fight].”
Counsel said: “As they were approaching the other two, those two on the mound were walking.”
Witness responded: “I just saw them running down the hill and when they got close they started to slow down, yes.”
Counsel asked: “Do you remember there was a pause before the fighting?”
Witness responded: “Yeah, there probably was, yes.”
The witness added: “As it unfolded it seemed like they were kind of having second thoughts.”
The witness said: “They were both equally going at each other with the knives.”
Counsel said: “I’m going to suggest they were not equally going at it, and actually the reason my client went down to the ground was because he had been stabbed?”
Witness responded: “No, that’s not what I saw.”
Counsel asked: “Did you see the stabbing on my client?”
Witness responded: “Yes, I did.”
The witness said: “When I saw the 18-year-old go on his back, it was that point the four lads ran on the field, so I got out of there.”
The witness added: “I didn’t see what happened to him at all – Mason. I saw what happened to the 18-year-old.”
The trial continues.
Mark Haywood KC is leading the prosecution, assisted by Katrina Wilson.
Opening the prosecution case, Mr Haywood said: “On February 18 this year, a 20-year-old man called Mason Miller was stabbed to death. One of the defendants in this case, now aged 18, received life-threatening injuries, which he only survived thanks to the urgent medical attention he received.
“The prosecution case is that the other two defendants, aged 16 and 17, murdered Mason and attempted to murder the 18-year-old. Although, in that sense, the 18-year-old is a victim of the violence inflicted upon him, he is also guilty of the murder of Mason.
“The 16-year-old and 17-year-old were effectively on one side and the others on the other side. All four, including Mason, shared, we say, one common purpose. That was to trade blows with their machetes, with two on one side intending to kill or at least cause the two on the other side really serious harm, and each being aware that those on the other side intended the same thing towards them.
Nine counts on the indictment
The indictment contains nine counts relating to alleged offences on April 6, 2025, and February 18, 2026.
The charges are:
Count 1 – Wounding with intent: The 16-year-old is accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding the then 17-year-old, now 18, on April 6, 2025, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Count 2 – Wounding with intent: The now 18-year-old is accused with attempting to wound the 16 year old, with intent to cause him really serious harm. He has pleaded not guilty to that.
Count 3 – Possession of an offensive weapon: The 16-year-old is accused of possessing a machete in a public place on April 6, 2025.
Count 4 – Murder: All three defendants are accused of murdering Mason on February 18, 2026.
Count 5 – Manslaughter: All three defendants are accused of unlawfully killing Mason on February 18, 2026.
Count 6 – Attempted murder: The 16-year-old and 17-year-old are accused of attempting to murder the now 18-year-old on February 18, 2026.
Count 7 – Wounding with intent: The 16-year-old and 17-year-old are accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding the now 18-year-old on February 18, 2026, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Count 8 – Possession of an offensive weapon: The 16-year-old is accused of possessing a machete at Briar Hill.
Count 9 – Possession of an offensive weapon: The 17-year-old is accused of possessing a machete at Briar Hill.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.