A close friend of a man killed in a Middlesbrough street fight denied the pair were on a drug dealing round on the day he was killed.
Daniel Blenkinsop said he had been “taking drugs and drink all day” and was with Simon Bennett, known as Simo, and another friend, Paul Cronin, before victim Mr Bennett was stabbed in Thorntree in May this year.
Mr Blenkinsop gave evidence at Teesside Crown Court today, as Craig Conway, 30, stands trial accused of murdering Mr Bennett, 29.
He admits manslaughter but denies murder.
Defence barrister Tim Roberts suggested to Mr Blenkinsop that he had been on a “round” of the Centurion and Fountain pubs in Ormesby, dealing drugs and collecting money with Mr Bennett.
He told the witness he had taken a knife with him for protection.
Reacting furiously, Mr Blenkinsop said: “No. Absolutely not. Of course not.”
Mr Roberts told the court of Mr Blenkinsop’s convictions in 2009 for possessing cocaine, and possession with intent to supply crack cocaine.
Mr Blenkinsop replied: “That was then. I was sent to prison, I served my time, and I learnt my lesson.”
The court was told that Mr Blenkinsop, Mr Bennett and Conway had grown up with each other and had met up at lunchtime on the day of the fight and “were friendly”.
Here, said Mr Roberts, Conway, of Epworth Green, Pallister Park, had referred to another man, known as Micky Robbo, who had been arrested in possession of 1kg of cocaine and said: “Micky Robbo has been set up.”
This, according to Mr Roberts, intimated that someone had ‘grassed him up’ - and reflected badly on Mr Blenkinsop and Mr Bennett.
But Mr Blenkinsop said: “No, I don’t get involved in that kind of ‘he said, she said’ stuff. I don’t remember.”
He also told the court that while he was with Mr Bennett leading up to the incident, he did not see him “shadow boxing” or see a fight.
He said he only saw Conway on the Greenway after Mr Bennett had staggered towards him.
When asked if Conway had spoken to him, he said: “He might have done, I don’t know I was under the influence of drink and drugs all that day.”
In his police statement given on May 10, two days after the incident, Mr Blenkinsop said Conway had told him: “Hurry up, phone an ambulance.”
But in court, Mr Blenkinsop said he could not remember and “was focusing on Simo”, but remembered Conway riding away on a motorbike.
Also taking the witness stand yesterday was Amy Smith, who lives close to where the incident took place.
She described being woken at around 11.30pm that night to shouting outside.
She said she looked out the bedroom window to see “Simo and about four other lads”, adding she saw Mr Bennett “stumble to the floor”.
Miss Smith said she then heard one of the other shout “You’ve stabbed him, you’ve stabbed him”.
Forensic expert Michelle Walton also gave evidence on her findings after she examined photographs and diagrams from the scene, plus clothing from both Mr Bennett and Conway as well as four knives and a “rubber handle” found close to the area.
None of the knives or the handle were found to contain any blood or DNA from either of the men.
Ms Walton said none of Mr Bennett’s blood was found on Conway’s clothing, and none of the pockets or sleeves in clothing worn by the two men showed evidence, such as cuts, that they had carried a concealed sharp, pointed blade. She added that a knife could still potentially have been carried but not done damage to the fabric.
Proceeding.
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