A schoolboy repeatedly stabbed a man to death after he and a friend robbed him for his drugs, a court has heard. The victim, Alfonso Sibley, was allegedly ambushed by the duo as he went to sell cannabis one afternoon, nearly a fortnight before Christmas last year.
The murder suspect, who was 15 at the time but has since turned 16, is alleged to have stabbed 23-year-old Mr Sibley, known as Alfie, several times before calmly fleeing the scene in Ewell, Surrey, and catching a bus. Mr Sibley stumbled to a nearby pub where staff and customers tried to save his life, but he died from his injuries in a pool of blood a short time later.
The prosecution said he had been covered in purple dye, thrown by a 15-year-old friend of the murder suspect, to help execute the alleged robbery. The 16-year-old denies murder. He and two other boys, the 15-year-old and a 17-year-old offering 'support' on his moped, all deny conspiracy to rob and are on trial at Kingston Crown Court. None of the defendants can be identified because they are under 18.
Prosecution Details the Attack
Members of Mr Sibley's family wept as prosecutor Robert O'Sullivan KC opened the case against the trio and described some of the victim's injuries. He said Mr Sibley was contacted by the youngest boy in the early hours of December 9, during which Mr Sibley agreed to sell him two ounces of cannabis in exchange for £380 in cash.
The pair, joined by the murder suspect, met up in Ewell shortly before 3.30pm that day. The oldest boy was seen on CCTV riding his moped nearby, the court heard. Footage then appeared to show banknotes in the road, and Mr Sibley clutching a blade while chasing after the middle boy, the prosecutor said.
Mr O'Sullivan said witness evidence later suggested the child 'had become the aggressor', and was in pursuit of Mr Sibley. He said: 'The prosecution say that (the boy) pushed Alfonso Sibley to the floor and struck him repeatedly in the chest causing wounds which transpired to be fatal.' Mr Sibley walked into the seating area of a nearby pub where he collapsed.
Aftermath and Arrests
The older boy was then seen riding his moped to the pub and appeared to look towards the seating area before making off, the court heard. A post-mortem examination found Mr Sibley died from a stab wound to the chest, which went through his heart and left lung, and suffered several other stab injuries to his torso. There were no 'defensive' injuries on his body, the court heard.
Mr O'Sullivan said: 'The prosecution case here is that all three defendants agreed to rob Alfonso Sibley of the cannabis which (the youngest boy) had made arrangements to purchase. Maybe Alfonso was seen as an easy target. But he fought back and he chased (the middle boy) with a knife and in the chase stabbed him in the backside. Whatever happened at that point, the prosecution say (the middle boy) then became the aggressor and chased Alfonso Sibley, caught up with him and repeatedly stabbed him in the chest.'
The prosecution case is that the middle boy was not defending himself when he stabbed Alfonso Sibley. But, if he may have been, then the infliction of at least five stab wounds was far more than was reasonable in the circumstances. All three were arrested within the next few days.
Defendants' Accounts
The 16-year-old told police he acted in self defence after Mr Sibley stabbed him with a knife, said to be around 9.5cm in length. The 17-year-old said he had no involvement with any drug deal, but saw Mr Sibley chase the middle boy with a knife which he 'shanked' into the boy's bottom. He said the middle boy was 'running for his life'. The youngest boy said Mr Sibley sent him texts asking to exchange nude images, and that Mr Sibley 'made sexual noises' when the two younger boys met up with him in Ewell. The boy said he then sprayed Mr Sibley in the face with the dye and ran off. He had the spray for self-defence, the court heard. The trial continues.
