A 23-year-old man accused of murdering Ipswich teenager Tavis Spencer-Aitkens has claimed his life had been put in danger by evidence he had given in court.

During his third day in the witness box at Ipswich Crown Court Aristote Yenge said that after implicating a man called “M” in Tavis’s murder yesterday (Tuesday) he had been called names including “snitch” when he returned to prison.

He said he was no longer confident of identifying anyone while giving evidence.

“My life is in danger,” he told the court.

Yenge told the court that on the day Tavis was stabbed to death he had been given a lift in a van to Iris Close to deliver drugs and had left his hooded jumper in the vehicle.

He claimed that a man called “M”, who had also been in the van, had put his jumper on before going in the van to Packard Avenue where the attack on Tavis took place.

During cross-examination by prosecution counsel, Oliver Glasgow QC, Yenge told the court: “I definitely didn’t kill Tavis. I’m innocent. I’m here because of a jumper. I didn’t kill nobody.”

He said he had been in prison for eight months and the mother of his child wouldn’t speak to him because she thought he’d killed Tavis.

“I didn’t kill Tavis,” he added.

“You’ve got me sitting in jail for a jumper. That is my jumper but I forgot it in the van,” he said.

Yenge, of Spring Road, Ipswich, Ipswich;: Adebayo Amusa, 20, of Sovereign Road, Barking; Callum Plaats, 23, of Ipswich; Isaac Calver, 19, of Firmin Close, Ipswich; Leon Glasgow, 42, of no fixed abode; and a 16-year-old boy have all denied murdering Tavis on June 2 last year.

It is alleged the murder was the result of rivalry between the ‘J-Block’ and ‘Neno’ groups for what J-Block perceived to be a loss of respect after a row between two of their friends and two of Tavis’ friends earlier that day.

Giving evidence Yenge admitted being a cannabis dealer but denied he was a member of the “J-Block gang”.

He said that because of the area of Ipswich he came from it was inevitable he would know members of J-Block.

Yenge said he was aware of conflict between J-Block and Neno, and claimed he had friends from J-Block and the Nacton area of Ipswich.

He told the court that the 16-year-old defendant was a member of J-Block and claimed that Calver had been a member of the gang.

The trial continues.