LITTLE HARROWDEN MURDER TRIAL: 'You do realise the knife went right in?'

Three men and a 16-year-old boy deny murdering Stevie Pentelow
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Three men and a 16-year-old boy have all pleaded not guilty to murdering Stevie Pentelow, 44, in Little Harrowden in June last year but all have accepted they were at the scene and one defendant has accepted the murder weapon was his and in his hand.

Mr Pentelow was killed on June 21, 2019, after he was stabbed in an attack that lasted just seconds and the four defendants were arrested shortly after.

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Yesterday (Tuesday), Northampton Crown Court heard from prosecuting barrister Mr David Herbert QC that two of the defendants, Tristan Patel, and a 16-year-old boy from Wellingborough, told a drug user about the attack after it happened.

Three men and a 16-year-old boy have denied murdering Stevie PentelowThree men and a 16-year-old boy have denied murdering Stevie Pentelow
Three men and a 16-year-old boy have denied murdering Stevie Pentelow

Patel and the 16-year-old had been at the address of a drug user in Havelock Street, Wellingborough, because he had bought crack cocaine from Patel earlier that day, they left with co-defendant Levar Thomas to travel to Little Harrowden and returned after.

It was while Patel and the boy were at Havelock Street that Mr Herbert said Thomas called Patel at 6.34pm and arranged to pick him up and travel to Little Harrowden.

When Patel returned to Havelock Street, Mr Herbert said: "Tristan Patel essentially admitted he had been involved. He told him (the drug user), 'I have done something really dumb.'

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"'I have just punched some geezer and he's also been stabbed."

The court also heard from Sophie Hughes, who was with the men and thought she was facilitating a drugs deal between Ghilani and Pentelow, that she had seen Tristan Patel with a knife.

Patel denies having a knife and Mr Herbert confirmed Mr Pentelow died from a single stab wound from a knife confirmed to belong to co-defendant Sifean Ghilani.

In response to Patel's admission after the attack, Mr Herbert said the 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "You do realise the knife went right in?'"

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Mr Herbert said this indicated at the very least the boy knew exactly what had happened at the scene.

However, when he was arrested on June 25, the 16-year-old told police he had travelled to Little Harrowden with three other men and a woman and had got out of the car but did not see anyone with a knife or anyone stabbed.

Mr Herbert said: "This doesn't chime with what he said to (the drug user)."

Sifean Ghilani answered "no comment" in his first interview with police after he was arrested on June 26.

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All four defendants now admit to being at the scene and Mr Herbert said: "There is no dispute now they were all in that vehicle. CCTV and phone evidence proves it.

"CCTV evidence of the route they took shows absolutely they were in the vehicle."

Levar Thomas told police he was driving others to purchase cannabis and it was the others who got out, and he was threatened with a knife and had no choice but to drive off following the violence.

The court later heard from Sophie Hughes that she had seen Levar Thomas with Ghilani when buying drugs from him before and they told her they were partners.

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Mr Herbert also said that the murder weapon, a knife found in Great Harrowden, was confirmed to have Stevie Pentelow's blood on it and that defendant Sifean Ghilani now accepts the knife was his and in his hand at the time of the attack.

Mr Herbert said: "There is no dispute that Stevie Pentelow was stabbed with a knife during this attack and it was Sifean Ghilani that stabbed him.

"He now accepts he did have a knife during the incident."

Sifean Ghilani, 20, of Winstanley Road, Wellingborough, Tristan Patel, 18, of Newcomen Road, Wellingborough, Levar Thomas, 20, of Knox Road, Wellingborough, and a 16-year-old boy from Wellingborough are all charged with conspiracy to rob Stevie Pentelow of Class A drugs and with his murder.

Ghilani and Patel are also charged with supplying class A drugs to others.

They all pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The trial continues.