Fred Shand murder trial: Jury taken step-by-step through important events before, during and after fatal stabbing

The trial into the killing of 16-year-old Fred Shand continued as the jury were taken step-by-step through key moments which led to the Kingsthorpe College pupil’s death.

As one of the last things presented to the jury before the prosecution closes its case, the court was taken through a sequence of events that are important to the incident.

The first date, February 23 this year, was when the 15-year-old defendant imported the “hunters knife” from China. This was the second knife found after the incident and not the murder weapon. More information was provided on this in the agreed facts, to be reported on by this newspaper in due course.

On March 6, police attended the 15-year-old defendant’s home address in regards to the importation of the above knife.

Almost three weeks later on March 20, two days before the incident, the jury was shown a photograph last modified on the 17-year-old defendant’s phone at 1.28am.

The photo pictured two males, which the jury heard there was “no dispute” that the one on the left was the older defendant. In this photo, he had a “large bladed weapon” in his right hand.

The jury heard that with it having last been modified at that time, that did not mean the photo was taken then but accessed by the user in the form of being received, sent or pulled up to look at.

The next date and time, between 4.40pm and 4.50pm on March 20, the court was reminded of the incident at Taco Bell in Walter Tull Way.

On the same date, at 10.50pm, another image was “modified” on the older defendant’s phone. This was a selfie in the mirror in the kitchen of his home address, where he was pictured wearing a black balaclava and holding an “extremely large blade” in his right hand.

Between 4.30pm and 4.45pm the next day (March 21) was when the separate incident at McDonalds in the Drapery took place.

Later on that evening at 9.48pm was when the communications began between the co-defendants and a number of others on both Snapchat and Instagram.

The court heard an account of the back and forth messaging that took place in quick succession across both platforms.

At 10.40pm, an hour after the communications began, the jury heard that an image of Fred’s home address was sent on Snapchat to the older defendant by one of his friends. The 17-year-old’s messages were heard in court as they had been retrieved from his phone after it was decoded by police.

A video of the altercation outside of McDonalds that day was also sent, after which the older defendant found out that one of his friends had his face sliced with a belt buckle.

The court heard the older defendant was then trying to get in contact with his injured friend, which he was successful in doing after he arrived home from hospital.

The injured friend later confirmed it was Fred who caused him the injury and the older defendant was sent Fred’s phone number by a different friend.

As the phone of the younger defendant was unable to be decoded by the police, the only information retrieved was the dates and times of calls and texts – not the content of them.

The 15-year-old’s direct interactions with the older defendant, as well as when they were in the same group chats, were heard in court as they were downloaded from the 17-year-old’s phone.

A plan was made at around 12.30am on the morning of the incident (March 22) for the co-defendants to meet at 2pm that day.

The next communications, which began from 9.28am on March 22, detailed the older defendant communicating the plans to go to Kingsthorpe College to three different friends – including the one injured at McDonalds the previous day.

The first direct communication between the two defendants was at 11.49am that morning, which is when the 17-year-old instructed the 15-year-old to “bring tools”.

The court heard the next communication between them was not until 1.44pm and it was at 2.01pm that the older defendant told the younger to “hurry up” as he was already in the town centre waiting for him.

The 15-year-old defendant told him he would arrive at 2.20pm, but the jury has seen evidence to show it was between 2.32pm and 2.41pm that he left his home address to pick up the scooter he travelled on.

The court heard the co-defendants first met at 2.48pm and they arrived at Kingsthorpe College around 40 minutes later.

The nine second phone call the 15-year-old defendant had with a friend at 3.33pm, which the jury had previously heard about, was confirmed in the sequence of events – as well as the missed calls that followed.

The jury saw CCTV images of the incident itself, which they had earlier seen, as well as confirmation of the 999 calls made by witnesses.

It was at 3.39pm that the co-defendants arrived at the 17-year-old’s home address, the court heard, before the older defendant was arrested at 3.48pm.

The 15-year-old defendant was arrested at 5.06pm, more than an hour after Fred was pronounced deceased at 4pm.

What else has happened in the trial so far?

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 their murder charge before Northampton Crown Court on April 24. They cannot be named for legal reasons.

Miss Jane Bickerstaff KC, the prosecuting barrister, kickstarted the trial on Wednesday (July 12) with the prosecution opening after the jury was sworn in on Monday (July 10).

The court heard 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 he has already pleaded guilty to.

The court heard 16-year-old Rohan Shand, known as Fred, died after being stabbed near the Cock Hotel in Harborough Road at about 3.35pm on March 22 while on his way home from Kingsthorpe College.

Miss Bickerstaff KC, of the prosecution, told the court it was the 15-year-old male defendant that carried out the stabbing and he was accompanied by the 17-year-old in the planned “joint enterprise attack” – shown by CCTV footage in court.

The stabbing followed an altercation outside McDonalds in the Drapery, which the court heard took place the day before (March 21).

A male had his “face sliced with a belt buckle” during that “dispute” and the two defendants were a friend of his. The co-defendants believed Fred Shand was at the forefront of the group responsible.

The court heard that after the co-defendants arrived at Kingsthorpe College later than planned on March 22, they rode on scooter towards the town centre via Harborough Road.

The entire incident was over in seven seconds after Fred, his teen friend and the two co-defendants came together for the first time at 3.34pm on March 22 on the green in Harborough Road, the court heard.

The co-defendants fled the scene on foot to the home of the 17-year-old, where they were detained by police shortly after – along with what is believed to be the murder weapon, a second knife and clothing worn during the incident.

During the second day of the trial (Thursday, July 13) – the first in which witnesses were called on to give evidence by the prosecution – the court saw 360 degree imagery to give them an understanding of the area, as well as video footage that has been recovered from March 22.

On the morning of the third day of the trial (Friday, July 14), the pathologist that conducted Fred’s post-mortem examination gave her expert evidence on the cause of death.

This was followed by evidence given by the teen friend who was with Fred on the day of the fatal stabbing.

Kickstarting the second week (Tuesday, July 18), the two eyewitnesses who followed the co-defendants home after the incident were called to give evidence.

The final live witness took to the stand to conclude the morning sitting, when the court heard he saw the blade pulled from the younger defendant’s trousers.

Five written witness statements were read aloud to conclude Tuesday’s sitting (July 18) – one of which detailed a nine second phone call the 15-year-old defendant had with a friend ahead of the incident.

The final eight written statements were heard the following day (Wednesday, July 19), including five from members of the police force.

The trial continues.