The youth defendant in the Alison McBlain murder trial has said one of his co-defendants 'threatened to kill him' if he told police about the events of that fateful night.
The 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of Alison's death and cannot be named for legal reasons, told the jury at Preston Crown Court that on November 19 2019, he was a back seat passenger in the Fiat Punto that hit Alison and victim Christian Rivers, along with Kaylib Connolly, Dean Qayum and Joshua Titterington.
Giving evidence, the teen said co-defendant, Titterington, who he knew but was not friends with, had threatened to kill him if he 'grassed to the police'.
The youngster, who was accompanied in the dock by an intermediary, claimed he did not know that his friend, Connolly, was involved in drug dealing, nor had he ever had anything to do with the supply of drugs in Blackburn from the Bully line, operated by Qayum, Chatwood and Connolly.
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He said: "I've never sold drugs in my life, I didn't know Karis Poynton, and I had only been in the company of Dean and Josh a few times."
The 17-year-old was asked a series of questions about the events of November 18 and November 19, including the alleged 'drug taxing' from Connolly by Christian Rivers.
He told the court that he'd been in the Punto with Connolly on Monday November 18, and had gone to the Galligreaves Bridge where the drug taxing took place, but did not see what happened.
When asked if Connolly had mentioned anything about Mr Rivers having stolen drugs from him, he said: "He didn't mention it straight away, but he said he'd been taxed later on that night.
"I didn't know he was dealing drugs, I just knew he smoked weed."
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On being quizzed about the night of the accident, the teen said he'd been to Asda in the Punto with Connolly, and had then returned to a friend's house, before going back out in the Punto to pick up Qayum from Chatwood's house.
He told the jury that the three of them, Connolly, who was driving, Qayum who was the front seat passenger, and himself in the back, had then gone to Mill Hill to pick up Titterington.
"Josh had a knife with him when he got in the car and he was stroking it. I was intimidated and felt a bit scared and moved closer to the window", he told the court, "and Josh said he wanted to go to Higher Croft to slit his girlfriend's tyres."
The court heard how the Punto never made it to Higher Croft but instead, drove around the Mill Hill area before Alison and Mr Rivers were spotted and subsequently hit by the car.
The teen continued: "I thought we had crashed, but then when I saw the windscreen I thought we hit something. I didn't see Christian or Alison.
"Then Josh started shouting and said 'we're all going to jail' and said it was cos I would grass on them all.
"I was scared at this point."
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He also claimed to have no prior knowledge of any plan to harm Alison or Mr Rivers.
Asked about his police interview, and whether he told officers the full story about that night, the youth said: "No, because I was scared.
"Josh threatened me with a knife and said he was going to kill me if I told the police anything."
Titterington, 26, of Scotland Bank Terrace, Blackburn; Qayum, 20, of Patterdale Avenue, Blackburn; a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons; Connolly, 18, of Ivy Street, Blackburn; Poynton, 27, of Whalley Road; and Chatwood, 26, of Walsh Street, Blackburn, deny murdering Ms McBlain and attempting to murder Mr Rivers.
(Proceeding)
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