A boy accused of fatally stabbing teenager Joshua Hall in Cam, near Dursley earlier this year sent or received 75 messages on his phone immediately after the attack, a jury was told today (October 20).

"The defendant Snapchatted his girlfriend at 1.24pm that day saying 'Babe, I'm going to prison'," alleged prosecutor James Dawes QC.

"She replied 'Why, what are you on about?'.

Mr Dawes told Gloucester Crown Court "He also sent messages to family and other people. He received a message at 1.35pm which stated, 'That helicopter is looking for you.'"

Mr Dawes said the defendant - who was 15 at the time - then made a voice call to 112 (the emergency services) which lasted for almost two minutes. The phone call was played to the jury.

The defendant told the call handler: "I have just stabbed somebody. I didn't mean to do it."

The youth, now 16, denies murdering Joshua on 16th April this year. The prosecution say Joshua suffered six stab wounds, including the fatal one which severed the main artery to the heart,

Mr Dawes told the jury there were other knife 'swipes' at Joshua which cut his clothing but did not penetrate his skin.

He said that at the time of the boy's call to the emergency services he admitted the stabbing Joshua but said he did not know why he had done it.

However, the boy changed his story when he gave a prepared statement after being charged with murder and he said that he had acted in self-defence, said the prosecutor.

Some of the swipes at Joshua with the knife had penetrated his top and track suit bottoms but not the skin, said Mr Dawes.

He explained to the jury of eight men and four women that Joshua's clothing, which was covered in blood, had been sent off for a forensic examination.

Scientists found it had more cuts in it than just the six knife wounds Joshua had suffered, he said.

"There are several other cuts in the clothing these were stabs that did not penetrate through the material," said Mr Dawes.

"There was a 6mm cut in the crotch area of his tracksuit bottoms, but there was no wound in this area of his body.

"Additionally there was a slash mask across his chest, but this left no wound on his body. Statements given by witnesses say he suffered from many stabbing thrusts."

Mr Dawes then went on to give the jury details of the defendant's numerous Snapchat messages and his call to the emergency number.

The jury heard the defendant tell the call handler that he was near a primary school on the corner of Birch Road and he repeated that he 'didn't mean to do it'.

Shortly afterwards the teenager was arrested for the attempted murder of Joshua Hall. He was visibly upset by this.

The prosecutor added: "The defendant said to the arresting officer, 'It was me, I did it okay' and he stated his name. 'I did it, I did it. I'm so sorry I didn't mean to, honestly. Why did I do it?'.

The police asked the teenager where the knife was, and he replied that it was near an alleyway near the playing field under a hedge. The police located the weapon and after an analysis the DNA on the handle matched the defendant and the blood on the knife was Joshua's.

While the teenager was in custody he was told that Joshua had died and he was re-arrested for his murder.

He gave a no comment interview but made a prepared statement in which he said: "When I arrived at the cricket club Joshua was with two of his mates who were at the top of the field.

"I went with two of my friends to meet them. The first thing Joshua said to me was a sexual reference to a girl that we both knew. I told him to shut up. It is clear he wanted a fight. He came over to me and started punching me. He hit me two or three times before I pulled the knife out of my waistband.

"I held it out and told him to back off. I had no intention of using the knife. I merely wanted to frighten him.

"He became agitated and even more aggressive. He just kept on coming at me. He punched me to my face and stomach at close quarters. I was trying to protect myself.

"I had no intention of using the knife on him and I can only think his injuries were inflicted accidentally. I merely wanted him to stop punching me. I was defending myself. He was much older and stronger than me."

The prosecutor told the jury, however, that the comments the defendant made to the police on his arrest contradicted the statement he made after he had been charged with murder.

Mr Dawes suggested that the boy's meeting with Joshua was a pre-arranged confrontation to which the defendant took a knife and perhaps this gave 'a clue to his thinking when he left his house.'

He was the aggressor and Josh was unharmed, said Mr Dawes.

"The use of the knife was out of all proportion to the pushing and pulling in the scuffle. There were many stabs to his body. The wounds were consistent with somebody trying to defend themselves and not the aggressor.

"The defendant ran away and hid the knife."

The youth denies murdering the 17-year-old and the trial continues.

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