A murder accused youth claimed the teen he fatally stabbed had 'tried to hit him with a bottle'. Brandon Price said he'd 'jumped back' and swung a knife 'two or three times' in an attempt to 'keep him away' - and only realised it had connected when he 'saw blood'.

Price, 19, and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are currently standing trial for the murder of Jack Norton. The 18-year-old, also known as Jack Lowe, died when he suffered a knife wound to the chest on December 7 last year. The alleged murder happened in a field known locally as 'Cookie Park', off Cook Street in Darlaston.

Price told the jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court he was 'wandering about' with his co-accused when they bumped into Jack, who was with two of his female friends. He said he'd been talking to Jack, 'catching up' as they hadn't seen each other 'for a few years'.

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Before they headed to the park, Price said his co-accused had been 'threatening Jack', adding: "He said he wanted to run him over and stuff like that." Price told the court he'd told his companion to 'stop and calm down'. The court heard the threats had continued in the park and he'd continued to tell him to stop as he 'didn't want him to do nothing stupid'. He said while the threats were being made, Jack had 'scrunched up his face' and 'whispered something to the girls'.

The court was told that while they were in the park, Price had asked the his co-accused if he'd had a knife and he'd replied 'yes'. Price continued: "I said 'pass me it' because he was making threats so I didn't want him to do it. I put it in my pocket."

Price told the court when Jack and his two friends got up to leave the park, he said to Jack 'are you going already?' and Jack had said yes as he was going to 'walk the girls home'. He continued: "He said he was going to meet me on Friday." He said his co-accused was standing next to him at this point and Jack's two friends were 'down the bank', which he described as a 'ditch' in the field.

He said his co-accused and Jack had then 'started arguing' and things 'got heated'. Price told the court he then saw Jack 'try to headbutt' the 16-year-old boy. He continued: "I pushed Jack, then he tried to hit me with a bottle. I jumped back, I pulled the knife from my jean pocket and swung it. I was showing him I had a knife so he'd back away."

Price told the court he'd swung the knife 'two or three times' but hadn't felt the weapon connect with Jack. He told the court Jack had been 'holding his chest' and then he had 'started to see blood' but Jack had said 'I'm not hurt'. Price said he hadn't intended to kill Jack or cause him serious harm, adding: "I wanted to keep him away from me."

He told the court neither he or his co-accused had said anything before they fled the park, saying he'd ran as he was 'in shock', adding: "I was going to get the blame." He denied 'whooping' or saying 'kill, kill' as they passed residential houses and said his co-accused hadn't either. He told the jury he'd dropped the knife down the drain as he'd 'panicked'.

Addressing a letter he sent to his co-accused after their arrests, in which he asked him to 'change his defence statement', Price told the court: "I meant tell the truth as I heard he was going to say something different, that he was going to lie so I'd just get the blame." The court was told the letter had referenced 'telling the truth' that 'he attacked us' and referenced the alcohol bottle.

Both Price, of Mellish Road, Walsall, and his co-accused deny murder and possession of a bladed article. The trial continues.