Teenager died after knife wounds

TEENAGER Peter Brown died after a knife was plunged into his Adams Apple and jugular vein in an Ipswich flat a jury at Norwich Crown Court heard.

Paul Dwyer, 31, of no fixed abode, is accused of murdering Mr Brown, in a flat in Parkwood, Henley Road, Ipswich on October 25 last year. He denies the charge.

Pathologist Dr Michael Heath carried out the initial post mortem examination and told the court that he had identified 18 wounds on Brown's body. He said the most serious wounds were a 3.8cm stab wound on the right side of his neck, which had penetrated his Adams Apple, and a 2.5cm stab wound to the neck, which was 5cm deep and had cut into Brown's jugular vein.

Dr Heath concluded that the wound to the jugular vein would have proved fatal but said there were no offensive injuries on Brown, such as bruising to his fists, just injuries from where he had tried to defend himself. He added severe force would have been needed to inflict rapid stab wounds on Brown.

A second pathologist, Nathaniel Carey, said the injuries had been caused by "rapid stabbings, but not strong force". He suggested the hole in the jugular vein was crucial to Mr Brown's death, but would not definitely be an immediate fatal blow as indicated by Dr Heath.

Shortly before his arrest, Dwyer had been involved in a car chase with three men, who had come to look for Brown, on the A12, south of Ipswich.

Also in the car with Dwyer was Anthony Addison, the first witness to be called on day three of the trial.

Mr Addison told jurors that he, like Dwyer, was a Big Issue seller who used heroin. He said he knew Dwyer as "Stuart" through selling the Big Issue and knew Brown as "Andrew" only through scoring heroin.

Mr Addison purchased heroin and crack cocaine from "Andrew" at the Wolsey on October 25, less than an hour before Brown was stabbed to death.

Mr Addison told the court that later that night, he had seen the familiar white Vauxhall Cavalier that "Andrew" drove at Sainsbury's 24 hour garage on London Road.

Mr Addison said: "It was early in the morning and the Big Issue vendor (Dwyer) came over. He asked me the way to Bradford. He realised who I was and asked me if I was looking for something (drugs).

"I said 'Yeah, OK then' and went over to the garage. I then asked him what he was doing with Andrew's car.

"He told me that Andrew had some trouble with some black boys and had left him in charge."

Mr Addison said he got in to the car to score heroin as if it was "Andrew" he was dealing with, but no deal took place as "Stuart" drove him up the road.

Mr Addison said as they were driving into Ipswich they were followed. He presumed it was "Andrew" and told Stuart "they want their car back". Mr Addison said that "Stuart" replied, "they're the boys we had the trouble with".

Mr Addison said the pursuit lasted until they got on the A12 and were heading towards Colchester, when the car he was in was hit from behind and "Stuart" crashed into the car into a fence.

Mr Addison said he ran from the scene across a field, but when he stopped he could hear three black men standing over "Stuart" shouting "stab him, stab him up".

The trial continues.