A MAN was murdered outside his home by two teenage girls who turned up looking to confront the victim’s friends, a court heard yesterday.

Christopher Chapman was stabbed to death near his Northumberland flat after a 16-year-old girl and fellow teenager Megan Hope allegedly arrived looking to fight his guests.

Prosecutors say when Mr Chapman went out to tell the pair to go away, the 16-year-old knifed him in the chest.

Mr Chapman, 24, died after being stabbed outside the block of flats where he lived in Blyth, Northumberland. Prosecutors say a girl, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, plunged a 15cm blade into Mr Chapman’s chest when he told her to get away from his property.

Co-accused Hope, who went to the scene with the 16-year-old, both of them armed with a knife, is also accused of murder on the grounds she was part of the joint venture.

Mr Chapman, known to his friends as Chappy, had invited some friends to his house for a drink on the night of the alleged murder in April.

In the early hours three of the friends left his flat to go to the nearby Asda, on Cowpen Road, Blyth, to buy more drink.

Around the same time the 16-year-old, who has since turned 17, spoke on the phone to one of the friends who had gone to Asda, Christopher Armstrong, while he was at the store.

Prosecutors say it is unclear what prompted the call but the pair were mutually abusive and threatening.

David Hatton QC, prosecuting, said: “The 16-year-old threatened to ‘come and smash their faces in’ and threats and abuse were passing in both directions.

“These two defendants were clearly serious because what they did, despite the time, was to get changed from their pyjamas and went to find Mr Armstrong and company.”

The defendants armed themselves with a kitchen knife each and set off from the 16-year-old’s home shortly before 3am. They turned up at Windmill Grove and shortly afterwards Mr Chapman’s friends returned from their trip to Asda.

The two teenagers then appeared outside the ground floor flat and started shouting for those inside to come out.

The 16-year-old reached in through an open window and grabbed a woman inside and started calling her names.

Mr Chapman shouted out of his window for them to go away, while a friend went outside to confront the teenagers. When he did so, the 16-year-old produced her knife and as she did so Mr Chapman came out of the flats, behind the girl.

Mr Hatton said: “The 16-year-old had her back to Mr Chapman as he came round the corner. She turned to him and it was then she stabbed him.

“He immediately walked to where Megan Hope was standing, near a tree, where he collapsed. He was taken to hospital by ambulance but he was pronounced dead on arrival.”

Mr Chapman died of a single stab wound which passed through the muscle between his sixth and seventh ribs, went through his diaphragm and through his liver, stomach and aorta.

The court heard the 16-year-old immediately regretted what she had done and anonymously rang 999. She claims the stabbing was an accident and says Mr Chapman ran on to the knife.

Both teenagers went back to the younger girl’s home afterwards and put their clothes in a washing machine.

In police interviews the 16-year-old accepted they had gone there to have a fight and said they were angry.

Prosecutors say although Hope did not inflict any injuries, she was also guilty of murder having agreed to go with the 16-year-old knowing she might inflict serious injury and was present when the attack allegedly happened.

The 16-year-old and Hope, 19, of Rosalind Street, Ashington, both deny murder. The trial continues.