Lakeside murder trial: Man 'chased and stabbed' at food hall

A father-of-three was chased and stabbed to death at a shopping centre after making "admiring comments" towards one of his attacker's girlfriends, a court has heard.

Michael Ugwa, 29, died at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex at about 16:30 BST on 28 April last year.

Muhammad Khan, 23, and Brandon Lutchmunsing, 20, are on trial charged with murder.

Shannon Weston, 21, of Canewdon, Essex, denies assisting an offender.

Opening the prosecution case at Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday, Karim Khalil KC said a mother could be seen on CCTV footage "dragging" her two children away in a pushchair away during the attack.

"It happened in front of a number of people going about their normal business," said Mr Khalil.

"Witnesses were clearly frightened for their safety."

Mr Khalil said Mr Ugwa, from Rainham, east London, was with a friend when they passed the three defendants at the site food hall in Thurrock.

He told jurors there was a "short verbal exchange" in which "Michael passed some admiring comments" towards Ms Weston - who was Mr Lutchmunsing's girlfriend.

The two groups were not known to one another, the court heard.

"The two male defendants decided to take it as some form of challenge," the prosecutor said.

He described how Mr Khan pulled out a knife, and the pair chased him around the food court, as Mr Ugwa at one point threw a chair at his attackers.

The attackers cornered him in a "pincer movement" and Mr Khan stabbed him in the chest in a "single and deadly blow", the court was told.

Mr Khalil said the two attackers - wearing balaclavas - fled the scene and Ms Weston drove them away.

The victim was "quickly surrounded by helpers" but died from catastrophic bleeding.

Mr Khan, of Ilford, east London, and Mr Lutchmunsing, of Dagenham, east London, both deny murder, and Ms Weston denies three counts of assisting an offender.

The prosecutor said Mr Lutchmunsing claimed to be unaware his friend was brandishing a knife, while Mr Khan claimed he acted in self-defence - an account Mr Khalil described as a "fabrication concocted to avoid the consequences".

The trial continues.

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