Fred Shand murder trial: 'CCTV shows younger teen defendant carried out stabbing in pre-planned revenge attack'

The prosecution has opened its case at the trial of the two Northampton teens charged with Kingsthorpe College pupil Fred Shand’s murder.

The two teenage boys from Northampton, who were aged 14 and 16 at the time but are now 15 and 17, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge before Northampton Crown Court on April 24. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Following the jury being sworn in on Monday (July 10) and legal discussions on Tuesday (July 11), the case was opened today (July 12) and is expected to last around three weeks – though The Honourable Mr Justice Morris prefaced that it is “impossible to be certain about the length of the trial at the outset”.

After legal discussions on Wednesday morning, prosecuting barrister Miss Jane Bickerstaff KC gave the jury an overview of the incident and the joint charge of murder that the Northampton teens face.

The younger defendant, aged 15, faces an additional charge of carrying an article with a blade or a sharp point in a public place – which the 15-year-old has already pleaded guilty to.

Ahead of the prosecuting opening, it was made clear to the jury members that this was an “outline of what the case is about” and is not the evidence they will be presented with in due course.

The court heard 16-year-old Rohan Shand, of Northampton, was known as Fred to his family and friends, and that he died after being stabbed near the Cock Hotel in Harborough Road at about 3.35pm on March 22, 2023.

Fred was on his way home from Kingsthorpe College at the time he died and the court heard he was accompanied by friends.

Miss Bickerstaff KC, prosecuting, told the court it was the 15-year-old male defendant who carried out the stabbing and he was accompanied by the 17-year-old.

The court heard the pair exchanged messages on social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram, which is where they planned the attack.

Described as a “joint enterprise offence between the two defendants”, Miss Bickerstaff said it was the older defendant who drove the two of them to the scene on an electric scooter they had hired.

The stabbing which led to Fred’s passing on March 22 followed an altercation outside McDonalds in the Drapery, which the court heard took place the day before (March 21).

A male had been harmed during this “dispute” and the two defendants were a friend of his. The co-defendants believed that Fred Shand was at the forefront of the group responsible.

The male harmed had his “face sliced with a belt buckle” – which the court heard “there is no doubt that Fred Shand was being held primarily responsible”.

Addressing the jury, Miss Bickerstaff KC said: “A revenge attack was planned.”

Messages were exchanged between the two defendants following the incident at McDonalds on March 21, as well as with others who they had tried to recruit but did not agree.

The two defendants’ messages referred to the need for balaclavas and weapons, which were described by the older defendant as “tools”.

They chatted directly about a plan to go to Kingsthorpe College and if Fred were not there, they would get the “tools” and find him for themselves, the court heard.

The stabbing on March 22 was captured on CCTV footage that was shown to the jury, ahead of more being shown from different angles in due course.

From direct messages between the two defendants, the court heard the plan appeared to be that they would meet at 2pm on March 22.

At 10.18am on the morning of the stabbing (March 22), the 17-year-old defendant messaged the male injured at McDonalds the previous day.

After obtaining information that it was Fred who inflicted the injury on the male at McDonalds, the 17-year-old defendant texted him back and forth after he left the hospital. One of which read: “Ima **** that yute up”.

At 11.51am on the same day (March 22), the 17-year-old defendant messaged the 15-year-old and instructed him to get his “tools”, leave them at the 17-year-old’s home before they “smack them yutes up at their school”.

The plan was to arrive at Kingsthorpe College at 2.40pm, the court heard, but the co-defendants did not meet until 2.48pm and the route of the scooter did not go via the younger defendant’s home as instructed.

Miss Bickerstaff KC said the inference is that when the teens met, the younger was armed with the “tools”.

Having arrived at Kingsthorpe College at 3.25pm when the pupils had already left, the co-defendants headed back towards the town centre, travelling south on Harborough Road.

Having rode past Fred and the two people he was accompanied by on foot, the court heard it is an inference that they caught sight of each other as they then joined on the green in the middle of the road where the incident happened.

Fred, his male friend and the two co-defendants came together for the first time at 3.34pm on March 22.

As the two pairs of boys approached each other, the older defendant fell to the ground before Fred removed his belt and lashed it out after the older defendant got up off the ground, the court was told.

The younger defendant, aged 15, then comes into view on the CCTV footage, the court saw, with a “large combat-style knife”.

Making advances at Fred with the 38.5 centimetre knife, with a 26 centimetre blade, Fred attempted to ward him off with his belt but was stabbed against a tree by the 15-year-old, the court heard.

The entire incident was over in seven seconds.

The court heard more information on what followed from the stabbing, which can be read on the Chronicle & Echo’s website shortly.

The trial continues.