A 16 YEAR OLD ROTHERHITHE YOUTH WHO SLASHED THE NE

A 16 YEAR OLD ROTHERHITHE YOUTH WHO SLASHED THE NECK OF A

SCHOOLBOY, NARROWLY MISSING THE JUGULAR VEIN AND CAUSING A FATAL

WOUND, DENIED HE HAD INTENDED TO CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY.

MARK STUPPLE ADMITTED WOUNDING 14 YEAR OLD PAUL LAMING BUT

PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO INTENTIONALLY CAUSING GRIEVOUS BODILY HARM.

AN INNER LONDON CROWN COURT JURY HEARD THAT THE BOY, OF SPENLOW

HOUSE, JAMAICA ROAD, WAS ON HIS WAY TO ST MICHAEL’S ROMAN CATHOLIC

SCHOOL IN BERMONDSEY ON MARCH 10 THIS YEAR WHEN HE WAS STRUCK.

HE TOLD THE JURY HE SAW STUPPLE TALKING TO HIS GIRLFRIEND

OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL.

‘I WAS JUST GOING INTO SCHOOL WHEN MARK DROPPED SOMETHING AND

SHOUTED OVER TO ME TO PICK IT UP,’ SAID PAUL.

‘I JUST IGNORED HIM AND KEPT ON WALKING.

THE NEXT MOMENT HE WAS

RIGHT BEHIND ME.

WE FACED EACH OTHER FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN HE

SLASHED ME.

HE SAID I’D BETTER WALK AWAY OR HE’D DO IT AGAIN.

‘

THE JURY HEARD THAT THE CUT NARROWLY MISSED THE BOY’S JUGULAR

VEIN AND COULD HAVE CAUSED HIS DEATH.

HE WAS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AND

HAD 10 STITCHES INSERTED INTO THE WOUND.

A MEDICAL REPORT READ TO THE COURT SAID: ‘ALTHOUGH THE

LACERATION WAS SUPERFGICIAL IT PASSED SEVERAL MAJOR ARTERIES AND HAD

IT BEEN ONE CENTIMETRE DEEPER IT COULD HAVE PROVED FATAL.

‘

BUT MR HAROLD PERSAUD, DEFENDING, SAID IT WAS AN ACCIDENT.

HE

TOLD THE COURT THAT THE TWO BOYS WERE MEMBERS OF THE SAME BERMONDSEY

BOXING CLUB AND STUPPLE HAD APPROACHED PAUL IN ‘A PLAYFUL MANNER’,

PUTTING HIS FISTS UP IN A MOCK FIGHT.

HE SAID STUPPLE, OF AMINO WAY, ROTHERHITHE, HAD AIMED A BLOW TO

MISS BUT HAD CONNECTED WITH THE BOY’S NECK.

STUPPLE DENIED AN ALLEGATION THAT HE HAD MOMENTS LATER DROPPED

‘A SILVER OBJECT’.

AFTER A DAY SPENT CONSIDERING THEIR VERDICT THE JURY ANNOUNCED

THEY COULD NOT AGREE AND WERE DISCHARGED BY THE JUDGE.

THERE IS TO BE NO RETRIAL ON THE MORE SERIOUS CHARGE BUT STUPPLE

WILL APPEAR BEFORE THE COURT ON OCTOBER 23 FOR SENTENCE ON THE

OFFENCE TO WHICH HE PLEADED GUILTY.

ENDS.