GONCALVES: ‘I FLED IN TERROR’ SAYS ACCUSED KILLER

A teenager accused of the murder of a 15 year-old boy at London’s Victoria Station told a court he ran away in fear after witnessing the attack.

Chris Goncalves, 18, said he saw another youth punching Sofyen Belamouadden in the body but denied seeing any knives.

He told jurors at the Old Bailey that he got ‘too close for comfort’ and but was not involved in what he described as a ‘scuffle.’

Sofyen was stabbed at least nine times after being chased into the tube station ticket hall during the evening rush hour on March 25 last year.

It is claimed the murder was sparked by a trivial row between two groups of youths at the railway station the previous day.

Dozens of commuters witnessed Sofyen being pursued by a 20-strong gang armed with knives and a samurai sword.

Goncalves was captured on CCTV going down into the ticket hall after the chasing pack and moving to within a few feet of the victim.

He told the court: ‘As I got there I came to a halt, I saw [a 17 year-old boy who cannot be named] punch his body.

‘The boy looked unconscious on the floor. As soon as I realised the boy was unconscious I turned round and ran away because I got scared.’

Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC asked: ‘Who stabbed Sofyen Belamouadden?’

Goncalves replied: ‘I didn’t see anyone being stabbed. I saw [the 17 year-old] punched at his body. I was focused on the boy.’

Mr Heywood said: ‘You cannot have failed to have missed that very large steel knife.’

Goncalves said: ‘Sir, I have no recollection of seeing knives. I didn’t see a knife, honestly.’

He denied that he ran away ‘together’ with the rest of the attacking group and claimed he was just running in the direction of the C10 bus stop.

Goncalves said he ‘never contemplated doing anything’ when he went down to the ticket hall.

The court heard he made no comment to police on his arrest and only admitted that he had witnessed the attack in his defence case statement two months before the trial started.

He said: ‘I haven’t even told it to my family, it touched my spirit. I wasn’t enthusiastic to talk about it.’

Asked by the prosecutor if he had made any attempt to help the victim, he replied: ‘Given what I had seen I didn’t contemplate in my mind to help the young boy.’

Jurors have heard this is the second of three trials in relation to the murder of Sofyen Belamouadden.

Last week five of the seven youths in the dock were cleared of murder on the direction of the judge.

Chris Goncalves, of Island Road, Bermondsey, and Samson Odegbune, from south London, deny murder, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

Jason Nwogbe, of Oppenheim Road, Blackheath, Tayo Ajayi, of Mayhew Court, Denmark Hill Estate, and Faruq Adeniji, all 18, and a 17 year-old and a 16-year-old who cannot be named, deny conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

The trial continues.

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