The finalseconds of young dad’s life
Oct 23 2007 by Jule Wilson, The Journal
A TEENAGER accused of murdering a young dad has blamed an accomplice who he described as “drunk” and “hyper”.
The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Newcastle Crown Court yesterday that Dean Curtis, 19, stabbed 22-year-old Kevin Johnson to death as they fought in the street, just moments before he himself used the knife on another man in an unprovoked attack.
The pair, along with a 16-year-old youth who also cannot be named, deny murder and GBH with intent.
The youngster told the jury that on May 18 this year the trio had gone out in the Pennywell and Grindon areas of Sunderland to break into cars. He said Curtis, of Forest Road, Ford Estate, Sunderland, had drunk several cans of beer and shared a litre bottle of vodka mixed with coke with him and the other youth as they wandered the streets, eventually getting into a verbal row on Partick Road, Pennywell, where demolition worker Mr Johnson lived, just after midnight on May 19.
The teen told the court that the Mr Johnson opened an upstairs window at his home and yelled at them to keep the noise down, to which Curtis replied with abuse. He said: “All three of us kept on walking, I didn’t expect him to come out of his house.”
The youth said the next thing he remembered was being punched in the side of the head, knocking him to the floor. He went on: “When I got up I saw the man punching Dean Curtis. They were on the floor on the other side of the road to me.”
The teenager told the court that moments later Mr Johnson had stood up and said: “I’ve been stabbed.”
The youngster told the court that Curtis then goaded him into stabbing another man. He said: “Dean was canny hyper. He started punching car mirrors and calling me a p**f, saying I didn’t really help him in the fight.”
The youth said he then stabbed Jamie Thompson, of Gleneagles Road, Grindon, who was walking towards them.
Mr Johnson died of stab wounds to the heart and back. He lived with his partner Adele Marie Brett and their seven-month-old son.
The trial continues.
