3:04pm Friday 15th December 2000
The teenager accused of providing the knife which killed Southgate College student Abdul Osman told the Old Bailey this week that he fled the scene in terror as he was scared of getting beaten up.
Ryan Reid, 19, of Appleby Close, Tottenham, insisted he has never carried a knife and did not see 18-year-old Mr Osman being stabbed outside Southgate Tube station on September 13 last year.
Prosecution lawyers allege that Mr Osman, from South Eastern Avenue, Edmonton, was knifed in the neck and chest by Bodrul Miah, 20, of Ascot Road, Tottenham, using a blade handed to him in a Snickers wrapper by Reid.
Miah and Reid deny murder and along with Avanash Aubeelack, 20, of Gladesmore Road, Tottenham, deny violent disorder and affray and the attempted wounding of Mustafa Osman. Mohammed Mollany, 18, and Marcus Oranu, 19, have admitted violent disorder and will be sentenced later. Miah's father Basharath, 46, denies perverting the course of justice.
Reid told the court that trouble had flared up when eight Somali teenagers including Mr Osman's cousin Mohammed Abdullahi approached him, Oranu and Miah outside the college. After a brief conversation in which Reid was accused of 'troubling' Mr Osman, a confrontation occurred.
"They all came out of the shop. There was between five and ten of them in the group. I remember Abdullahi holding Abby [Avanash Aubeelack] by his arms. Abdullahi was saying 'It's him, it's him'," Reid told the court.
He added that one of the group rushed forward and started spraying gas in Miah's face, causing him to flee back to college.
"They sprayed him with gas. If I tried to help him the same thing would have happened to me," Reid added.
The trial continues.
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