Rayon Pennycook murder trial: Boys 'lunged at each other' with knives

A 16-year-old who was stabbed to death had lunged repeatedly at another boy with a knife, a court heard.

Rayon Pennycook died in Reynolds Road, Corby on 25 May following the altercation.

Northampton Crown Court heard the boys had started fighting following a row in the street between two women.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and possession of a knife.

Rayon died from blood loss shortly after being stabbed just before 19:00 BST.

Prosecutor Jeremy Benson told the court the incident started with an altercation between two women who live near each other on Reynolds Road.

He said a group of teenage boys, including the defendant, approached the scene, and that Rayon came out of a house armed with a knife and started towards them.

Mr Benson told the court the defendant pulled out a knife and the two boys were lunging at each other with knives when Rayon was stabbed.

The court heard he had then backed away into a house, where he collapsed and died.

Mr Benson said the defendant left the scene and went to Pure Gym in Corby where he changed his clothes, before returning home where he told his dad he had stabbed someone.

The prosecutor said the accused told his father: "I was with my friends and some guy attacked me, we had an argument and he tried to stab me, so I stabbed him in the shoulder to defend myself.

"I am not a murderer."

The court also heard from neighbours.

A witness said she saw what looked like a "cat fight" between two women and then a group of teenagers came to the area.

She said she saw an "extremely aggressive" boy leave a house with a knife and that there was a lot of shouting.

She then said a second boy had pulled a knife too.

Addressing the witness, defence barrister Timothy Clark said his client "went for 'male one' once, for the shoulder, and as he did that Rayon Pennycook ducked in".

He asked the witness if that was possible and she agreed it was.

Mr Clark then asked the witness if she could quantify how many lunges Rayon had made towards the defendant.

When she said she could not, he asked her if it was "a lot" and she said yes.

The trial continues.

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