A 16-year-old accused of murdering Humza Hussain outside a Luton school had confronted a younger boy minutes before the killing, a jury heard.
The boy, who was 14 at the time, said he had left Challney School for Boys and was walking along Stoneygate Road with other students when the defendant had asked him to go into an alleyway.
He was asked by prosecutor Richard Wright QC what would have happened if he had gone into the alleyway. The boy, who is now 15, said: “He would have stabbed me.”
Luton Crown Court heard the 14-year-old telephoned his older brother, who arrived at the scene with 16-year-old Humza.
Mr Wright told the jury of 10 men and two women the older brother threw the head of the hammer at the defendant, who drew out a knife. Humza is said to have grabbed the defendant from behind in an attempt to restrain him.
“After he broke free he lunged at Humza Hussain and stabbed him repeatedly to his chest,” said Mr Wright, who described the weapon as a “large and savage knife.”
Members of the public, paramedics, teachers and staff from the school intervened following the stabbing, which happened between half past three and a quarter to four in the afternoon. Humza was taken to hospital where he died shortly after 6pm that evening. The older brother was also treated for injuries.
The 16-year-old denies murdering Humza Hussain on June 8, 2021, this year. He also denies having a knife on Stoneygate Road, Luton on the same day.
The prosecutor said the killing was an act of revenge by the defendant who had suffered a bloodied nose in a playground fight at Challney School on October 7, 2020.
He went on: “The dispute between them (Humza and the defendant) had been festering for some time. There was mutual animosity that developed. It is not easily identified and may relate to insults on social media. It may have begun as a petty adolescent grudge that developed.”
As a result Humza was permanently excluded from the school and the defendant was moved to another school.
“From this point on the defendant was determined to exact some sort of revenge on Hamza Hussain and his friend (the older brother),“ said Mr Wright.
Exactly a month after the fight, on November 7, 2020, Humza was in Chaul End Park in the town with a cousin when they were attacked by a larger group. The defendant was alleged to have told a youth, who was armed with a knife, to “shank” Humzwho suffered serious injuries to his arm.
On Wednesday, November 17, the 14-year-old boy said he had seen the “figure” of a knife inside the defendant’s tracksuit pocket, but under cross-examination by Nadeem Mian QC, he admitted he had not told staff from the school.
Mr Mian said: “Instead of telling the teacher you called your brother?” He replied “Yes.”
He went on: “Did you tell the teacher you had called your brother. The boy replied: ”No.”
Mr Mian put it to the boys that the defendant was not trying to get him to go into an alleyway. The boy said: “It is true there is witnesses.”
Teacher Haris Shafi said he was on duty as students were going home from school when he saw a group of Year 10 boys and the defendant, who was on a bike.
“I got the feeling something was not quite right. I walked over and spoke to him (the defendant). He had been a student until late 2020.
“He shouldn’t have been there. He said he was there to see his cousin. I felt he was deflecting. He asked how I was. I felt there was something going on.”
Mr Shafi said: “It ended pleasantly enough. I said he should not be there and he said ‘ok’ and got on his bike and cycled down road.”
He said the 14-year-old was found further down the street and taken back into the school because he knew there had been an issue between the defendant and his older brother.
Once inside a receptionist rang for the boy’s father to collect him. While there the killing took place with Humza being fatally stabbed and the boy’s older brother being injured.
